Destiny of the Skywalkers
by TheImmortalGriffin
Summary: The heir to the Skywalker legacy has re-emerged at long last. Daughter of Cade Skywalker and Darth Talon, Celeste Skywalker has a choice to make. Will she side with her mother and the Sith, as her ancestor did? or fight along with the Jedi and her father?
1. Chapter 1 In the Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 1**

**In the Beginning**

_Long ago, before the rise and fall of the Old Republic and the Rise of the Empire, they existed. One of the greatest empires to rule the stars - The Rakatan Infinite Empire. Harnessing the power of the Dark Side of The Force they ruled over trillions of species and created vast technologies to control and enslave these species - The Star Forge - among others. But their greatest creation was hidden away before their extinction. A device that if it had been activated, could've possibly prevented their demise._

_That was many thousands of years ago, and the Rakatan species has long been extinct. But their last great creation stil exists. Hidden away on a world that was once theirs, the device waits to be found..._

xxxx xxxx

_An ancient Jedi prophecy speaks of the one who will destroy the Sith and bring the Force into balance. Before the fall of the Old Republic, it was believed that Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One. It indeed seemed that way after the Battle of Endor, where Anakin slew his master, Emperor Palpatine before he himself perished aboard the second Death Star. But quickly after the fall of Palpatine and Vader, Lumiya, one of Vader's Dark side Adepts, took the mantle and title of "Dark Lady of the Sith" and began her own Sith rule, thereby continuing the Sith legacy. She went on to turn Anakin's grandson, Jacen Solo, into her Sith Apprentice. He called himself Darth Caedus and started the second Galactic Civil War._

_Even when Caedus was defeated in combat by his twin Sister, Jaina, aboard the Star Destroyer _Anakin Solo_, the Sith lived in secret on Korriban. Under the rule of A'Sharad Hett, now known as Darth Krayt, the Sith Order thrived, once again driving the Jedi order to near extinction._

_Krayt died by the hand of Darth Wyyrlok on Had Abbadon, after the Duel with Cade Skywalker and Celeste Morne possesed by the spirit of Karness Muur, severly injured him. Death was not permanent as Krayt was resurrected and returned to reclaim his throne on Courscant._

_His reign came to an end as Cade Skywalker and his allies mounted an offensive on Courscant, killing the Dark Lord and ending the Sith reign over the galaxy._

_The Galactic Federation Triumvirate was formed in the wake of the Sith defeat and the Sith were forced to retreat into the shadows of the Deep Core under Darth Nihl, a new battle strategy being formed._

_Peace was quickly achieved in the galaxy and while it was a relief to many, it did not last. _

_It did not take the Sith long to infiltrate most major governments and in just over a decade Darth Nihl sat in the throne on Coruscant, the Jedi and allies sent into hiding again. _

_Nihl was ruthless. Any supporters of the Triumverate were executed publicly and with the support of his modified version of Krayt's Sith Troopers the Federation millitary was soon under his full control. _

_The rest of the galaxy, not wanting another war and having been inflitrated by the Sith, quickly bowed down. _

_Abandoned and alone, what was left of the Jedi and Federation went into hiding and began to consolidate what little of their forces remained. _

_As Cade Skywalker said when_

_the order to abandon Courscant was given,_

_"We need a miracle..."_

xxxx xxxx xxxx

Seventeen years ago, one hundred and forty three years after the battle of Yavin IV and five years after the Sith defeat on Courscant.

Few Sith came here anymore. With Lord Nihl's plan to infiltrate the galaxy, he felt that Korriban was too dangerous of a place to go, since the Galactic Federation kept a fleet in orbit at all times and did not allow any force sensitives onto the planet's surface. Anyone going down was screened and all ships inspected. Believing that Korriban was the most likely place for new Sith to rise, they weren't taking any chances.

But there were always ways around the blockades and sensors. It was a chance that he felt was necessary if the one they had come to call the "Child of the Sith" was to be raised to be the future ruler of the One Sith, she needed to be exposed to her roots...

-Catacomb tunnels under Korriban-

A little girl ran down the narrow tunnel, the dark brown rock lit only by a glow-rod that she carried. Her bright blonde hair shimmered in the light. She was excited to be down in the catacombs that had once been used by the old Sith Order. The new order, formerly ruled by the now dead Darth Krayt, and now ruled by Darth Nihl, hadn't bothered to take most of the artifacts when they abandoned Korriban. It didn't matter much to her what they were. They were new to look at and she was away from the palace on Odik II.

The small girl was trailed by an older woman she knew as her mother, even though the two of them didn't look anything alike, not even the same species, but it had been confirmed that they were related by blood.

"Celeste" Talon spoke firmly and with no emotion. The girl stoppped and looked up at her. Her mother was tall, her skin was marked with tattoos earned in ritual combat and inscribed personally by her former master.

"Yes, mommy?"

"Do not wander too far ahead"

"I won't, mom" Celeste promised the way every child does. Celeste's mother, former hand for Darth Krayt and now hand for Darth Nihl, Darth Talon, looked down at her daughter. Noticing the little Human/Twi'lek hybrid girl's desire for adventure in her bright green eyes.

Celeste was about to turn five standard years old and begin her training in the ways of the Sith. Something everyone had noticed was her ability in the Force. She had not even begun formal training and she was already exhibiting Force abilities, such as moving small objects without too much thought. Talon knew that this was of because who her father was, a fact she dared not share with anyone. Only Darth Krayt knew who he was and that knowledge had died with him. Now the only person who knew of her true bloodline was Talon. Darth Nihl had not yet inquired about the child's lineage, but Talon was sure that her daughter would be of much interest to him when he found out.

She may be a loyal Sith warrior, she maybe loyal to her master, ready to die for him at any point and loyal to the Sith cause with no thoughts otherwise, but after she had given birth she had found herself caring about this child. It was something she couldn't explain. Something she had never before experienced.

"CELESTE! Come here" Talon said, shifting her Lekku as she walked

"But mommy, there are some cool statues over here"

"I said come here" Talon's eyes burned and she pointed to her side

"But mommy..."

"Celeste" Talon repeated. The little girl lowered her head

"Coming mom" she said as she walked back towards Talon. As she walked, one of the statues caught her attention. "Ooooh, look at the jewel" she said, fascinated and turned to look at it, Talon still calling for her attention. As Celeste approached the statue, she reached out for it and it began to shake as the invisible tendrils that were her unconciously reaching out to grab the statue took hold and began to pull it, and the wall behind it, out towards her.

"CELESTE!" Talon called, reaching out to her daughter, but it was too late.

As the wall fell out, a large rock came crashing down from the ceiling, right near the girl. Celeste panicked. Talon lunged at her, trying to grab her out of the way, but as Celeste screamed in terror, she instictivly tapped into her dormant force abilities and sent a shockwave of energy through the tunnel, throwing Talon back to the ground

"MOMMY HELP ME!" she cried out as more rocks fell all around her, she covered her head as a rock fell on her head, knocking her unconcious. Talon rose to her feet and lunged again, but before she could reach her daughter the ground underneath Celeste gave out and she fell down the chasm, into forbidding darkness. As that happened, the rocks above the hole fell down and blocked off the passage even further.

Talon grasped her side, a small rock having pierced her side and reached out to where the rocks had fallen and her daughter had fallen through

"CELESTE!" she called out, but recieved no answer as she pulled rocks out from the pile.

xxxx

Celeste awoke in a dark cavern, her sides splitting and her head felt like it was about to explode. As she opened her eyes and tried to look around, but it was too dark to see clearly. Too dark to barely see at all. Too dark to see her hand in front of her face. The air was stale, but breathable

"Mom?" she said aloud, but recieved no reply. Fear began to take ahold of her and she began to tremble.

She stood up as best as she was able, but she had a hard time feeling her left arm from her elbow down. Grasping her arm, she moved forward in the darkness

"Hello?" she called out, trying to see if anyone was near where she was. "Is anyone there?" she called out again. And again, no reply other than her own echo.

She tried to make her way forward, or as far as she could tell which way was forward, she quickly remembered that she had an minature glowrod in her pocket. Reaching for it as she walked, she tripped and fell to the ground once again. As she stood back up, she reached forward, trying to gain her balance. When she placed her left hand down, she felt metal. Cold metal. And she could almost feel a presence in wherever she was. She couldn't explain any of it. But something told her that there was someone in the room with her.

"Hello?" she tried again. No response.

She raised her hand up higher and used her other hand to light the glowrod. When she tried to light it, nothing happened. But as the hand that touched metal rose, she felt something different. Not metal. Not anything like that. She leaned on it harder and heard a loud click. Startled, she looked around and saw nothing other than the forbidding darkness.

Then slowly, the room began to light up. Not very quickly. But Celeste was soon able to make out the outline of her own hand. Then the bit of blood on her hand that she quickly realized had come from her lips. She could also see the bruises and cuts that dotted her skin. Her dress was torn in several places. Then, as the light got brighter, she was able to see the whole room, including the way she had come in. She turned around to see what was making the light.

It was a large device. It stood a good fifteen meters tall. It's outer layer shined, only small spots of dust spotted the outer shell. It stood on four struts, then had a large, disc-shaped base with four pylons extending out to the top and an opening in the center where a large sphere of blue light shone out. Celeste tried to pull her hand away from where it was resting, she guessed some kind of keypad, but the more she pulled, the more her hand stayed stuck.

The keypad lit up and began to send a line of light up her left arm, snaking towards her body. Celeste panicked and began to scream as she tried to pull away from the device, but the more she struggled the more the device's grip held on. The beam wound it's way around her entire body. She continued to struggle and scream, but the beam held it's grip on her.

She soon found the beam slacking and slowly releasing it's grip on her. But as that happened, she saw an image in her head, an image of a group of aliens, tall, with large heads and large eyes on either side. They were standing over the device that currently had Celeste in it's grip.

Then the image dissappeared.

Celeste began to struggle again, trying to break free of the device again. And again, it resisted and tightened further.

As she felt an energy tendril begin to wrap around her neck, she screamed and once again instictivly drew from the well of Force energy that permeated her lineage and encased herself in a bubble of pure Force energy, forcing the tendrils to release from her. The last thing Celeste remembered before blacking out again was the sound of falling rocks and her own screams.

xxxx xxxx

The first thing she saw when she awoke were stars. Panicking, she bolted upright, only to see the edges of a transparisteel window. She sat up and looked around, seeing that she was in some sort of medical bay.

"Hello?" she said aloud. The door opened and a man walked in. He showed signs of age. Celeste immediatly backed up against the wall, her eyes wide

"Hey, it's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you" he said in a calm voice

"Who are you? Where am I? Where is my mommy?" she said all in one blurb

"Woah there, that's a lot of questions. I am Jerad Olak, Captain of this ship, for starters. Guess you could say I saved your life"

"Where is my mom?"

"Well, little lady, I don't know who your mother is, but any half-decent mother that I know wouldn't leave her kid lying in the middle of a desert looking like you did"

"What?"

"We were on a delivery run for the Triumverate, out to one of the more remote outposts, when we found you lying in the middle of desert. Not sure how long you'd been lying there, but you weren't in good shape" he said

"My mom wasn't there?"

"No. I don't know where she was. Or even who she is, kid. What's your name?"

"I'm Celeste"

"You got a last name?"

"Last name?"

"You know, your family name?"

"Not as far as I know. You need to take me back I want to see my mom"

"Do you know where she is?"

"We were in the tunnels"

"Tunnels?"

"The ones under the surface. My mother keeps telling me that I need to learn about my heritage so I can fufill my destiny, whatever that means"

"Who is your mother, kid?"

"The others called her, Talon. I think" Celeste said as she swung her legs over the side of the diagnostic bed. The man's eyes widened slightly

"Talon? I've heard of her and I don't think that she is any kind of mother. No offense, kid"

"But she is my mommy. She told me so herself!" Celeste insited

"If you say so" Olak said, trying not to sound sarcastic

"How old are you anyway?"

"I'm four!" she stated proudly, a large smile on her face.

"Well, Miss Celeste, welcome aboard the _Star's Legacy_"

"You aren't taking me back?"

"No. I'm doing you a favour. We had all hoped they got rid of the Sith for good. If there were more Jedi they could get rid of those bastards before they start another war. Damned fools"

"What's a Jedi?"

xxxx xxxx

"And you are quite certain, Darth Talon, that the girl is dead?" Darth Nihl spoke to Talon as she kneeled down in front of him back in the Sith Fortress.

"I am. After the rocks fell, I stopped feeling her presence in The Force. I have not picked up on it since"

"How does this make you feel?"

"I serve you at your whim, my lord. I feel no differently"

"But she was your daughter"

"She was"

"And?"

"She was born Sith. Had this not happened she would've gone on to be a servant of my lord. Would have surpassed and replaced me to fufil her destiny of providing the Sith with an Emperor"

"This does not bother you?"

"It is the way of the Sith, my lord. I slew my master on the order of Lord Krayt when I was finished my training. It is the way it works"

"Very good" Nihl said as he walked away, but stopped short "Who was her father?" he asked. Talon rose to her feet

"Cade Skywalker, my lord"

"Ah, I see. Then we have lost a great opportunity to realize Lord Krayt's vision"


	2. Chapter 2 Legacy Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 2**

**Legacy Revealed**

Present. One hundred and sixty ABY. Outdoor Cafe on Atzerri.

"I'm telling you, Cel, we should take this run" Faei Masara, Celeste's Felecatian partner said as she sipped her drink

"Oh sure. Let's run a shipment of what was that again, Alderaanian relics?" Celeste remarked

"Yeah"

"Right to Nar Shaddaa and hope we get a good price"

"Oh, come on. Alderaanian relics are priceless" Faei insisted

"Yea, as in lacking price. I mean if it were rare trinkets that would be one thing. But these are supposedly a few pieces of the palace. I mean a few pieces of ferrocrete? Really?" Celeste said as she sipped her caf

"Did you even read the list?" Faei glared at her

"Eh, I glanced at it"

"Do you do this on purpose, just to annoy me?"

"Sometimes" Celeste smirked as she took a sip

"You're...urgh" Faei grumbled

"Oh that's a good comeback" Celeste said coldly. Faei glared at her. "What?"

"I hate you"

"You've said that so many times it's lost all meaning" Celeste countered. Faei snarled

"Keep doing this and you just might lose your partner"

"You've stuck with me through worse" Celeste replied.

"I hate it when you're right"

"You and a lot of other people"

"Seriously, Cel, look at the list! We could get a few nice coins from this stuff. A few trinkets, some Jedi ones I think, and a few of the mosaic tiles from the Alderaanian royal palace before it was renovated just before the planet got vaped" Faei said, wiping some food crumbs off of the fur on her arm. Celeste ran a hand through her hair red tipped hair as her Felecatian partner handed her the goods list

"Alright, fine. I'll look" Celeste took the list "Alright, there are a few good things on here. Tell Reter we'll ship items one to three and then six, nine, eleven and thirteen. That should earn a few nice coins"

"I'll tell him" she said as Faei got up

"Good. Meet me back at the _Legacy_ in a half hour"

"What are you gonna do?"

"Finish this" she gestured towards her drink "Then take a stroll. Atzerri is one of my favourite worlds. Don't get to spend much time here as I'd like"

"Alright, just don't spend all of our money. And if you meet a guy, make sure he stays out of my bunk" Faei chuckled. Celeste was known for her promiscousness, short temper and quick wit. Traits that had helped her keep her alive ever since...

"I'll be sure to do that. But not sure I'll find a guy in a half hour"

"Please, you step into a room and you get hounded by guys. Half of them you sleep with" Faei said as she picked up her coat and pushed her chair in

"Your point? And to be honest, not much sleeping happens" Celeste joked with a half open eye

"You're despicable"

"I'll take that as a complement" Celeste said. Faei just laughed

"Whatever. I'll see you back at the _Legacy_" she started to walk away, then stopped and came back "Careful"

"What?"

"I think trouble is coming in" Faei pointed to a squad of stormtroopers walking down the street. A Sith in behind them.

"Please, I haven't done anything. This time" Celeste said as she moved her blaster to under the chair

"I know. But whenever Imps show up where you are, or vice versa, Imperial medical frigates start preppin the bacta tanks"

"I'm not that bad" Celeste insisted

"Sure Cel. Later"

"Take your time" Celeste said as she finished her drink. Tossing the waiter a few credits, she put on her jacket, slung her rifle over her shoulder and walked out of the cafe patio. Sunglasses on her eyes, she took in a deep breath.

Stopping by a shop stall, she looked a several items. One caught her attention before she even looked at it. She felt it call to her.

It was a small jewel with a crest that appeared to be two crossed lightsabers.

"Ohh you like this one?" The shopkeeper said to her

"What is it?"

"Jedi medallion. Very old. Very rare"

"How much?"

"Fifty credits"

"Here" she handed him a small coin. He smiled and handed the jewel to her. She continued to walk down the street, looking over the item. She felt something coming from it, like it had energy.

She knew she was Force sensitive. She'd made a concious choice to supress it and not let it control her after what had happened in her childhood. She had never forgiven herself for what she had done. But every so often her Force sensitive nature popped up in some form or another and it took effort to supress it.

As she walked down the street, she passed the Stormtroopers and their Sith commander. The Sith turned to her.

"You. Who are you?" He barked at her

"Me?" Celeste turned slowly

"Yes, you"

"Celeste Olak" she replied. Not having a last name had made things difficult for her, so she had adopted the last name of the man who had rescued her from the accident when she was little, as thanks for something she barely remembered.

Under the black hood, the human Sith narrowed his eyes at her as she walked by. He stopped to look at her

"I know you. I have felt your presence before. But not for a long time. Who are you?"

"Who's asking?" she replied

"Insolent girl. Do you not know who I am?"

"I know you have a bad skin problem" Celeste smirked

"I am Darth Ragar. Ah, there it is. I know who you are now. We thought you were dead"

"We?"

"The Sith. You will come with me. Do not resist"

"Like hell I am. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a schedule to keep" she said as she tried to walk away

"Troopers, stun her!" Ragar ordered. The troopers raised their weapons "She must be brought before Emperor Nihl ALIVE!"

"Bad move" Celeste said, whirling around and grabbing her rifle at the same time.

She ducked and fired several shots. Two of them landed two troopers square in the chest. Leaving a smoldering hole in their no-longer-clean armor. The third blasted another trooper in the face. All three fell back and Darth Ragar ignited his lightsaber

"You have no idea who you are, do you? What your power is?" he said, deflecting the bolts

"Try me" she yelled from behind cover. Firing off another couple of shots, both of which the Sith deflected

"Your mother would like to know that you live" he said.

That hit Celeste close to home. She couldn't remember her mother. Only bits of emotions. And nothing of her father. Jerad Olak had told her that her mother had abandoned her. As far as she was concerned, her parents were both dead

"HOW COULD YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS? THEY'RE DEAD!" she screamed and fired a couple more blasts. Downing another trooper. Ragar could feel her rage. That was the only thing keeping him at bay, keeping him from charging her. Her force energy radiated with hatred and rage. Ragar could feel it. The power he felt was more than any he had ever felt before - even from Krayt

"Ah, but she isn't. And your Sith heritage is very strong" he said aloud, but got no reply. When he reached out with the Force to sense her, she was gone. Not just in the Force, but litterally gone. She had escaped.

"Lieutenant" he called. One of the Stormtroopers walked to his side

"Yes, my lord?"

"Find her. I want her alive. This is your only priority. Fail me, and I will report you to Emperor Nihl"

"Yes. My lord"

"I am returning to the hanger. Have my shuttle ready"

"Yes. My lord"

Celeste ran and ran hard. She headed for the docking bays, back towards her ship, her mind abuz with thoughts over what the Sith had said.

xxxx

Back aboard the _Star's Legacy_, Celeste took a moment to relax in her bunk. Throwing off her shoes, she lay back and took a sip from the water beside the bed

"I wonder what he meant by all that" she said to herself, trying to calm herself down. She knew what had happened. Her attempts to surpress her Force abilities had failed and she had once again let out all her rage in a single burst. At least this time she was able to contain it before anything else happened.

Sitting up, she crossed her legs and tried to meditate, but her mind kept nagging her. She finally gave up, lay down and tried to sleep.

She was awoken by glow coming from outside her quarters

"Faei? That you?" she grabbed her blaster and moved outside, slowly.

Outside her room, she took up aim, expecting to see more Stormtroopers, but instead she saw a man surrounded by a bright glow. She moved forward, her eye still on level with her rifle's sights

"Who are you?" she asked. The man turned around slowly

"Hello Celeste. I was waiting for this time to come" he said calmly

"WHO ARE YOU?!" she repeated

"You cannot harm me, for I am not actually here" he said

"That doesn't answer my question" she stated

"We are here to give you a message" another figure came out of nowhere"

"A message you must heed" came another

"One that will change the galaxy forever" another one

"Who are all of you?" she demanded, waving her blaster around at all of them

"We, are your ancestors. The ones of your line"

"A line I started" one stepped forward. He had messy brown hair and a scar through the right side of his right eye. All of them wore long robes.

"We are the Skywalkers. Down the ages" the second one said. He had short, blond hair.

"The one with the scar spoke "We all were Jedi Knights and we all served a purpose in the galaxy. I started the line. I am Anakin Skywalker"

Celeste lowered her blaster "Yea, I heard of you. You fought in the Clone Wars, right?"

"I was. I fought there and then helped destroy the Jedi order, but was redeemed as a Jedi during the battle of Endor"

"Heard of that too. And you?"

"I am his son. I am Luke Skywalker. I restored the Order of the Jedi Knights to the Galaxy and fought in both Civil Wars as well as several other wars" Before Celeste could ask who the next one was. The older one, with darker orange hair spoke

"And I am your grandfather, Kol Skywalker. I died at Ossus, during the Sith attack on the Temple"

"Now, here's what I'm wondering, what do all of you want? My sympathy? 'Cause I ain't feeling too sympathetic towards Jedi these days"

"No, Celeste" the last one spoke. "I am Ben Skywalker. We have a task for you"  
"And what makes you think I care?"

"Because you must" Ben said

"We cannot train you as a Jedi" Luke said

"But there is one who can. One who might be able to deal with you on your level"

"Geez, you want my help? Insulting me might not be a good idea. And what makes you think I want to be a Jedi anyway? I like my life as it is, for your information" she said bluntly

"Have you ever heard the legend of the Chosen One?" Luke asked

"Not a fairy tale I am familier with" she said dryly, setting her blaster down on a table

"It is a Jedi prophecy that one day a Jedi will emerge and defeat the Sith once and for all" Kol said

"So?"

"It was thought to be me" Anakin said "But I failed to complete the task"

"If you're going where I think you're going with this, I'm not interested"

"You have no choice. Destiny will find you" Ben said

"Celeste, you must seek out your father" Kol said

"I have no father" she said

"You do. The reason you don't know of him is because he does not know of you"

"Oh really? That's convinient. An excuse, I guess"

"It is true"

"Then I supposed that my mother is just fine too. Just forgot about me?"

"No" Anakin said "She belives you are dead. That you perished when you were a child" Celeste patted herself down

"Nope, still alive. So what do you guys want me to do?"

"Find your father. Learn the ways of the Jedi and complete your destiny"

"Okay, I'll bite. Who are my parents?"

"Your mother is a Sith, Darth Talon" Luke said. Celeste stopped to think for a second.

"That name does ring a bell" she said, touching the pendant that hung around her neck

"And your father is my son, Cade Skywalker. You are not an Olak. You are the heir to the Skywalker legacy" Kol said

"I've heard of him" Celeste replied dryly  
"You must find him. He can train you to face your destiny" Kol finished.

"So where do I find him?" She asked

"We cannot tell you. You must seek him out" Luke said

"That's helpful"

"Start on Ossus and trust in the Force" Anakin said. Celeste rolled her eyes

"Sure. I'll just..." she started, but they were all gone "Okay then..."

Author's note: YES IT IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER. I'm sorry for the delay, I meant to start posting a couple months ago, but I couldn't find anyone to beta read, so on that note, I apologize for grammatical/canonical errors. This story is 100% done and I will try to be updating at least once a week, maybe more.


	3. Chapter 3 Ossus

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 3**

**Ossus**

"Cel? Are you here?" Faei yelled as she walked up the ramp of the _Star's Legacy_. She found Celeste in the cockpit

"I got the list from Reter. He's moving the stuff to the loading bays" Faei said as she sat down

"Change of plans. We have to leave now"

"But the gear?"

"I've had, what do you call it, a change of ideas. We have to find someone"

"Who?"

"Need to know basis, Faei"

"Well, either tell me or I get out"

"Cade Skywalker"

"Why him? You want to hand him over the Sith or something?"

"No, just a hunch"

"You're dumping our cargo run, over a hunch? Are you okay, girl?

"I'm fine. Just had a change of heart is all"

"Do I need to stun you?"

"No, Faei. Not at all. First time I've had a clear thought in ages"

"You mean ever" Faei snickered

"Shut it" Celeste said and ignited the engines.

"Reter is going to be pissed"

"He'll deal with it"

The _Star's Legacy_ rose from the hanger bay, the YT-8650's engine's ingited and it flew off into the sky

"Set nav coordinates for..."

"For?" Faei asked. Celeste's eyes narrowed as she thought about it

"Ossus"

"Why?"

"Call it a hunch"

"One of these days, Cel. One of these days"

xxxx xxxx

As the _Legacy_ set down outside the charred ruins of the Jedi temple on Ossus. Celeste took a moment to psych herself up. Faei did a quick scan of the area

"I hate to say it, Cel, but I don't think there is anything here"

"There better be something here" Celeste said as she stood up and walked out of the cockpit.

As they walked down the ramp, the smell of flowers filled Celeste's nose. She turned to Faei

"Take a look around, see if you can't find something that'll tell us where to head next"

"Why are we even here?"

"It's hard to explain"

"You don't even know?"

"Not really"

"Cel..."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Something as to why we are here"

"As I said, I don't know" Celeste insisted as she brushed some plants aside and looked up at the sky. The sun was just setting over the horizon, giving night a chance to fall.

"Cel, really. What are we looking for?"

"I don't know. I keep telling you that"

"Then why are we still here?"

"I told you, I don't know. I just figured it would be a good idea to start here" Celeste said. Faei sighed.

"Look, when you start wanting to make sense, I'll be on the ship" Faei stated and started to walk off

"Wait" Celeste said

"What?"

"You hear that?"

"What? I hear nothing except you being wierd and getting wierder" Faei remarked

"Wait. Faei?"

"Yes?"

"Get down" Celeste said

"Why? There is nothing here" Faei insisted, when she heard a brush crack behind her. She immediatly knelt down. Celeste drew her rifle and crept forward, trying to be a quiet as possible.

Two Yuuzhan Vong warriors emerged from behind the bush, Amphistaffs drawn they lanuched their attack

"Pirates, thevies, I will cut you down like I have many before you" one of the warriors snarled and swiped at Celeste with his amphistaff. Faei rolled her eyes back into her head and began to shift her body.

She quickly took the shape that was her species alter form. A predetory cat form. Similar to that of a Nexu. She had spent many years mastering the ability to control the change that happened normally due to high stress levels or extended periods in hyperspace. Those who trained themselves enough could control the changes, and force themselves to not change when they didn't want too.

With her change complete, Faei lunged at one of the Vong, the sharp bones sticking out of her back glinted in the last bits of sunlight. Her teeth, sharp as vibroblades dug into one of the Vong's arms. He screamed in the suprise pain.

Celeste rolled to the side to avoid the venom stream from one of the Vong's Amphistaffs and shot off a couple of blasts, one of which caught one of the Vong warriors in the shoulder. He went down, but as Celeste began to crack a smile, he started to get back up.

"You think I go down that easily? Think again" he snarled. Celeste cursed and fired off another few rounds. All of them missed and left scorch marks on the ground nearby.

While Celeste was fighting off one of the Vong warriors, Faei, in her animal form, was attacking the other. She snarled, showing her teeth and lunged. Her teeth dove into his shoulder and he yelled aloud.

Twisting around, the Vong tried to free the beast from his shoulder, but to no avail. Faei's teeth were embedded in too deep to be simply removed. As he flailed around, trying to remove her teeth from his shoulder, he inadvertantly slung her around and dove her back blades into his left leg. He yelled out in pain and fell to the ground. Faei pulled her teeth out and snarled. The Vong warrior dragged himself to his feet and reached out for his Amphistaff. Faei lunged, but he managed to strike a blow to her head, sending her to off to the side. She struggled to get up, but fainted into unconciousness, reverting to her humanoid form at the same time.

Celeste had stopped blasting and began to use her rifle as a melee weapon, throwing hits and blocks as best as she could, but even she knew her skills were meager against a highly trained warrior.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Faei get knocked down to the ground

"FAEI!" Celeste yelled out as she struck another blow at the Vong warrior, but failed to notice the second one sneak up and strike her on the head. She went down and hit the ground hard and fast. Her necklace lace snapped and the pendant she had worn since childhood fell to the ground, noticed only by one person.

What both Celeste and Faei had failed to notice was a third Vong standing behind the bushes, holding a small necklace in it's hand. As the two warriors both raised their weapons, about to strike the killing blow, a voice came from the shadows

"CHOKA SKELL! LIAAN LAH! Do not kill them"

"Why now?"

"This one is familier. Take them to the the temple ruins and place them in a room. I will speak to them"

"As you wish"

xxxx xxxx

"Rrnnnnngggg" Celeste groaned as she struggled to bring herself back to conciousness. She opened her eyes, but all she could see was a bright beam of light coming in a hole in the wall

"Faei? You there?" she said aloud, all she heard was a soft groaning "Faei? That you?" she repeated.

Her eyes finally finished adjusting to the light and she looked around. She was in a small room, barely any light and it looked to be in a structure that was crumbling and in need of desparate repair. Inside the ruined temple, she guessed. The big question on her mind, was not why she was in the temple, but rather why the Vong had not killed her.

"Nnnngggg" she heard coming from the corner

"Faei?"

"Cel, that you?" came the reply

"Yea, you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm not that hurt, I'm, I'm..."

"You're what, Faei?"

"Naked. Stupa Vong didn't give me any clothes"

"Oh really?" Celeste asked with a degree of curiosity in her voice

"Oh no you don't. Stay away from me, Cel. I mean it"

"Here" Celeste flung her jacket in the general direction of the voice while she chuckled

"Thanks. Where are we?"

"If I had to guess. I'd say the temple ruins. That there is even a room intact is amazing to me"

"Same here. And what was with those Vong? Why are they here?"

"I wish I knew" Celeste said "A better question would be why are we alive"

xxxx

Not too much later, the make-shift door opened and in walked a female Vong. Tall and with purple lines painting her skin, she looked thoughtful, yet strong. Even though she was flanked by the two warriors, Celeste reached for the vibroknife she had sewn inbetween the fabric layers of her right boot. Taking hold of the patch underneath where it was hidden, she ripped it off and pulled out the blade, turning on the power at the same time.

"WHO ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME!" Celeste demanded to know, holding her blade out for the Vong to see. The two guards stepped out from behind th female, weapons drawn, but the female held her hand up, stopping them

"A better question is who are you and why did I have my guards spare your life?" she asked calmly

Celeste was about to answer when she noticed the pendant the female Vong had in her hand. Celeste reached to her neck, only to find her pendant was gone

"Hey, give that back. It's mine!" she demanded

"Where did you get this?"

"I've had it since I was little. Why does it matter to you?" Celeste asked. The female Vong pulled another necklace out of a pocket

"Because I have this" she said. There was no denying it, the two pendants matched

"Where did you get that?" Celeste asked, suprisingly less hostile this time

"First tell me who you are"

"You first"

"I am Nei Rin. I was a master Shaper on the Ossus project"

"Before it went haywire. Your fault, if I remember my histories" Celeste said. Nei Rin sighed

"No. The project was sabotaged by the Sith under Darth Krayt"

"Suuure" Celeste interrupted, rolling her eyes

"I had finally found my proof, but when I reached Ossus to inform Kol, he was already dead. Around his neck he wore this pendant. I kept because he was a friend. One of the few who truly believed in what we were doing" she paused "Now who are you and where did you get this?" she demanded

"I've had that since I was a child. I think my mother gave it to me, but I can't remember"

"You still haven't fully answered my question"

"Look, I'm not even sure myself. Frankly, I'm not really sure I believe it"

"Believe what?" Nei Rin asked

"Yea, what, Cel?" Faei put in

"From what I've been told, I'm a Skywalker. My name is Celeste" she said.

Faei took a step back

"WHAT?!" she blurted. Nei Rin just studied her

"I was unaware that Kol had a daughter" she said calmly

"Well, from what I understand, and believe me, I'm having a hard time believing it too, seeing as it was a bunch of ghosts that told me

"What?"

"Well, I'm not Kol's daughter. I'm his granddaughter"

"So your father is Cade?" Nei Rin asked

"From what I'm told"

"Yes, I see it now. you have his eyes. I should have seen it sooner, but I did not know that Cade had settled down"

"I dunno. I never knew him. Or that I was related to him before two days ago. Then suddenly some ghosts appear on my ship and start spewing all this at me"

"Why did you not tell me this?" Faei blurted out "AND CAN SOMEBODY HAND ME SOME DECENT CLOTHES?" she said, trying to make Celeste's jacket cover both her chest and below her waist, but not having much success in do so.

One of the Vong warriors tossed her some cloth

"Dress yourself, Abomination" he said. Faei put the cloth around her waist, a makeshift dress with Celeste's jacket covering her top.

"Ah, much better" she said, patting down the cloth "Now, Cel, you're saying you're related to the Skywalkers?"

"I don't know. As I said, a few ghosts appeared the other day and started blabbing about this and that. Namely how I was the supposed heir to their legacy. Or something like that" Celeste sighed, putting her hands in her pockets "Now, can I have my necklace back?" she basically demanded. Nei Rin tossed it to her. Celeste clipped it around her neck, cradling the pendant.

"Look, I don't why I'm doing this. All I know is that I can feel that this is important" Celeste said

"I understand that" Nei Rin said "I may be able to help you find Cade"

Celeste snerked, trying to figure out the best facial expression to express her feeling of confusion

"Come with me and I will help you as best I can" Nei Rin said as she walked out

"So what, you believe me?"

"I have a feeling that you are telling the truth, as I can see Cade's eyes in yours"

"Oookay" Celeste rolled her eyes and followed the Vong outside.

xxxx xxxx

Coruscant. Sith Temple.

Darth Trask looked around as he entered the chamber of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Nihl. Darth Talon was in her place at her master's side. He knelt down in humblance to his lord

"Report, Darth Trask"

"My lord, I believe I have found her"

"Of whom do you speak, Darth Trask?"

"The girl. The one we thought dead"

"Be more specific"

"The child of Talon" he said. Talon took a step back. Nihl turned to the Sith warrior

"Are you sure, Darth Trask? She was dead seventeen years ago"

"I am sure, my lord. She had the same Force presence and reacted in a manner when I mentioned her mother that suggests she has no idea of her true identity, she called herself Celeste Olak"

"You have done well, Lord Trask. We must find away to recover her"

"At once, my lord" Trask stands and walks out

"Darth Talon. Come here"

"Yes, my lord"

"Track down this girl and find her. Bring her back here alive"

"Yes, my lord. But if she resists?"  
"Bring her alive unless she gives you no choice. If that happens, kill her"

"Yes, my lord"

"I hope this is not a problem, Darth Talon. She is your daughter after all"

"That remains to be seen, my lord. If she is, she will join us or I will kill her"

"Very good"


	4. Chapter 4 Temple

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 4**

**Temple**

"So, we're just gonna listen to that Vong?" Faei asked as the _Legacy_ soared out of Ossus' atmosphere.

"For now, yes" Celeste said

"But why?"

"She says that she can help me find Cade"

"So you're a Skywalker, eh?" Faei asked, her voice sounded slightly annoyed

"I guess so. Still not entirely convinced though"

"So you say"

"Look, just set the nav computer for Taivas and lets get on our way already. The Vong lady said that the Jedi have a temple there. That's the last place she said that she knew that Cade went" Celeste said as she entered the coordinates into the computer.

"Ready for hyperspace jump" Faei said

"Executing" Celeste said as she pulled down on the hyperspace controls. The stars outside went from being static dots to lines that shot past the _Legacy_'s forward viewport

xxxx xxxx

Hyperspace.

"Faei?" Celeste said during the flight, turning towards her copilot

"Yeas? Faei answered, not taking her eyes off the console

"Can I count on you for this?" Faei sighed

"Look, I've stuck with you through worse. Remember that incident on Tralus V?" she asked, Celeste snickered

"Yeah, I'd forgotten about that" Celeste chuckled "I just wanted to make sure I can count on you. This is some pretty heavy stuff"

"I know. But if you didn't know, then I can't blame you"

"Oh?"

"Well, those days en-route to Ossus I can blame you for" Faei chuckled and punched Celeste in the shoulder

"Ow. Okay, I guess I deserved that" she remarked

"Yeah. You did" Faei remarked with a slight grin

xxxx

A noise behind them told them that Nei Rin had entered the cockpit

"We are nearing Taivas" Celeste reported and throttled back, pulling the ship back into realspace.

The Zhar system was rocky and filled with asteroids. Many of which seemed like jagged blades as they flew past the _Legacy_.

"We're being scanned" Faei reported as one of the screens flashed

"Could be a security system put in by the Jedi" Celeste said as she looked out the forward window at one of the passing asteroids, which had red glows about it

"Yeah, see that? Sensor stations. They know we're coming"

"Hmph. And here I thought we were being sneaky" Celeste smirked

"You'd think the Jedi would be more careful" Faei remarked

"You'd think" Celeste replied

xxxx xxxx

"Now, how the hell are we gonna find this place? All I see are cloud vapors" Faei remarked as they descended into the atmosphere. Celeste shrugged and turned to Nei Rin

"How did you know where this place was in the first place?"

"I remember Kol once speaking of it. As somewhere the Jedi could go if there was ever trouble"

"Do you know if it even exists?" Celeste asked as she piloted the _Legacy_ downwind along the canyons

"I am not sure. All I heard was Kol speaking of it as a project that he hoped would be completed quickly and when Master K'Kruhk and Master Sazen left for the temple. Even they did not say much"

"Why did Kol not mention more?"

"Because he did not have a chance to" Nei Rin said as she sighed softly "According to Master K'Kruhk, the temple was barely finished when he was killed, Kol never had a chance to make to safety"

"Great way to go" Celeste said with sarcasm in her voice

"He died a warrior" Nei Rin stated

"Whatever. Look, do you have any idea of where this place is?"

"No. I don't even know if it still exists"

"Great. So you're telling me that we've come all this way to try and find a place that we aren't even sure exists? Sheesh"

"Everything happens for a reason" Nei Rin said softy

"Not in my experience" Celeste shot back

"Hang on, I'm getting a ship on the scope" Faei stated

"Imps most likely. We're out of here" Celeste began to steer the _Legacy_ up towards the atmosphere. Faei put a hand on her shoulder

"Not Imp. IFF doesn't match any Imp ship. Not even the primary transponder matches any Imperial code, past or present"

"What's the designation?"

"Seems to be the _Flame of Triumph_. One of the old CR-90 Corellian Corvettes"

"Wow, those are ancient. Been in service since long before the Vong even set foot in this galaxy" Celeste pointed out

"They seem to be on a predetermined course" Faei pointed out. Celeste reved the ships engines and then shut them down

"Alright, we'll tail them and see if they go anywhere interesting"

"But the main drives...?"

"Replulsors and thrusters. If we keep the main engines up, we risk being detected"

"Could they not just see us on the sensors?" Nei Rin asked

"No" Celeste replied "The _Legacy_ has an advanced stealth system. Hard to use because it doesn't hide you visually and it forces you to crawl along, even slower than a Hutt, but it allows you to run silent. Good for hunting in Nebulas or in cloud cover like this" Celeste pointed out "Hope to get my hands on a Stygium based cloak, but they're damned near impossible to come by these days"

The Corvette dived along a rock formation, gliding along the cloud vapors like a mynock over an energy conduit.

xxxx

"We've been following them for how long now?" Faei sighed and glanced at the scope once more. As she looked, the blip disappeared. "Wait, they're gone"

"Crashed?"

"I don't know"

"Let's find out" Celeste powered the engines and put the ship into a dive towards where the target had been last.

xxxx

The spot of the last sensor contact was not a crash site. It was not a spaceport. It was just a large canyon in the planet's surface. Celeste slowed the engines and began to circle the area.

"Anything?" Celeste asked

"Nothing. It just vanished" Faei replied

"A cloak?" Nei Rin suggested

"Maybe. But I have another idea"

"What?" Faei asked. Celeste pointed down to the canyon

"A dozen creds says that the temple is down there" Celeste grinned as she steered the _Legacy_ down to the canyon

"You're insane. You know that, right?"

"Hey, who in this damned universe ain't?" Celeste smugly replied. Faei just glared at her.

"Look, just watch where you are going" Faei insisted "I'd rather not get smashed up on a rock"

"Relax" Celeste replied as the _Legacy_ dove around a corner, nearly skidding on a rock formation. Several fragments blew across the forward viewport

"HEY! YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" Faei shrieked

"Yup" Celeste grinned.

The Legacy rounded another corner and began to pass through what looked like a long, straight tunnel

"I have to hand it too the Jedi, they sure knew how to build a hidden base" Celeste commented

"If it exists" Faei blurted out, glaring at Nei Rin. Nei Rin was about to comment when light started to fill the cockpit. Faint at first, but gradually getting brighter

"Woah" Celeste gasped. Faei blurted something similar and to the same effect.

The temple came into view and it sent a sense of awe through the people onboard the _Star's Legacy_. The dozen or so ships that had been turned onto their fronts and anchored to the ground created the temple. Most noticably were two of the old Mon Calamari cruisers, used in the days on the Rebellion and the New Republic. One of the old Imperial Star Destroyers, an ImpStar Duece, from what Celeste guessed. Several other smaller ships littered the area. CR-90 corvettes, smaller transports. All of them linked together by walkways, platforms, reinforcement beams, girders, wires. All holding this rather loose collection of ships together in a viable structure.

"Well I'll be a Hutt's Uncle. It does exist" Celeste remarked. But as they got closer something seemed wrong.

Scorch marks, blast points, broken hulls. The entire temple was marked with heavy damage. As Celeste circled, they saw a major hole in one of the hulls

"There was a battle here" Celeste said quietly

"But who won?" Faei inquired

"Let's find out" Celeste said as she guided the _Legacy_ down to a landing pad.

xxxx

With the _Legacy_ touched down on the pad, Celeste stood up out of the pilot's chair

"You should stay here until we know it's safe" she said to Nei Rin

"Please let me know if you find anything" Nei Rin replied

"We will" Celeste said, putting her sword sheath on her back and hoisting her rifle.

Faei and Celeste descended the ramp, weapons at the ready.

"You smell that?" Faei asked quietly

"Yes. Decaying bodies. Who knows how long this place has been like this" Celeste replied "Let's try and find the command center"

"Good idea, maybe the computers are still working"

"Don't get your hopes up"

"With you around, I never do"

xxxx

"Hold up" Celeste said as they approched yet another body. Faei kept her weapon up as Celeste examined it. "This one was a Jedi" she said as she picked up the lightsaber.

Flicking the switch, the bright green blade shimmered to life.

"Interesting" she said, examining it

"Never seen one of those before?" Faei mocked

"Just never held one. It has it's own energy" Celeste said, observing the weapon closly

"We should move on" Faei tried not to roll her eyes

"Right" Celeste said, clipping the weapon to her belt.

xxxx

They stepped into the command center, weapons held high.

"Clear" Faei reported

"Clear" Celeste confirmed as she lowered her rifle. Faei moved over to the computer console and after wiping dust off of it, tried to access the system

"Good news is that there is still power and I can access the memory systems. Looks like this place has been abandonded for about twenty years"

"So just after I was born then" Celeste pondered

"So it would seem. That's a long time for this place to be empty" Faei said and turned to Celeste "I'm sorry, Cel, but I don't think we're gonna find anything here"

Before Celeste could reply, a small explosion was heard from outside. Celeste dashed to the window and looked down.

Five figures dressed in full red and black armor, sporting crimson bladed lightsabers were moving towards the _Legacy_

"C'mon, we gotta go" Celeste said and took off at a dead run. Faei followed close behind.

xxxx

"HEY!" Celeste shouted as they came up on the Sith "Get away from my ship"

She raised her weapon and fired, catching one of the Sith off guard. He fell to the ground with several holes in his head. Faei raised her weapon and fired, but her shots were all blocked by the lightsabers. She backed up to take cover behind a planter and fired again, hitting one of the trooper's ankles. He fell, but quickly got back up and charged her.

As he got closer, Faei began to shoot wildly, trying to stop his advance. But with a single swipe of his blade, her weapon was cut in half. Before she could change into her predatory form, he lunged and drove his saber into Faei's shoulder and then into her hip. She screamed and fell to the ground.

"FAEI!" Celeste screamed and pulled the lightsaber from her belt, dropping her rifle to the ground.

She took a deep breath to break her focus, ignited the blade and lunged. She caught one of the Sith from behind, driving her blade through his torso. He fell to the ground, lifeless. With a twirl, she readied her blade again.

The remaining three Sith lunged at once, but with a single move, her one blade blocked all three attacks. She yelled, pushed hard and they all jumped back only to find Celeste right behind them.

Celeste could feel her own energy increasing and her own strength growing the more they fought. As her opponents grew obviously weaker, she grew stronger. She couldn't explain it, even if she was thinking straight.

When one of the Sith broke away and headed for the unconcious Faei, Celeste decided this had gone on long enough.

She lept through the air and drove her blade right down through the head of the trooper. As the other two charged at her, she tried to reach out and knock one to the ground, hopefully to find out where they had come from, but a massive energy blast came from her hands, knocking both Troopers off of the platform and down to the rocks below.

Nei Rin walked down the ramp towards Celeste while her guards attended to Faei

"How...how did I do that?" Celeste asked, nearly collapsing to the ground

"It seems that you do have much power, but I have never seen a Jeedai wield it like you did" Rin said. Celeste looked up

"I...I only meant to stun one of them. I felt myself growing stronger as the battle went on. I reached to knock one down, but I...I pushed them over"

"What is happening to your eyes?" Rin asked. Celeste looked at her wrist computer screen.

Her eyes had changed colour. Bright orange around the iris, changing to dark red. As bright as the colours were, after a few deep breaths, they faded away and her emerald green eyes were as they were supposed to be. And then the realization struck her

"FAEI" she yelled and ran to her partner

"She is badly injured" Nei Rin said

"Let's go. Nar Shaddaa is the closest safe world" Celeste said, picking Faei up off the ground and running towards the _Legacy_.


	5. Chapter 5 Family Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 5**

**Family Reunion**

Celeste set the _Legacy_ down on a Nar Shaddaa landing pad as an emergency medical transport neared the landing pad

"You'd better stay inside the ship. Vong aren't exactly welcome company on Nar Shaddaa these days" Celeste said to Nei Rin

"I agree" the shaper replied as Celeste carried Faei off of the _Legacy_.

The medical transport pulled alongside the landing pad, opening it's doors as the medical team jumped out with the stretcher.

Loading Faei on, they took off towards the medical center, leaving Celeste standing on the pad with nothing but a visitor's sticker for the center.

"Be safe, Faei" Celeste whispered quietly before walking back up the ramp.

"What did they say?" Rin asked

"She'll survive. They'll buzz me when she's awake. I'm gonna drop the car and take it for a spin, blow off some steam. Feel free to make yourselves at home. But the cockpit is coded access, just a heads up" Celeste replied

"We aren't going anywhere. I spent almost two decades on Ossus tending to the villips and plants, some time away will do good" Rin said. Celeste nodded and walked down the ramp, closing it behind her.

On the underside of her YT 3100 freighter, she clicked opened a panel, entered her keycode and her specially modified 74-Z speed bike descended from it's holding bay, kicking up a bit of dust as the repulsors kicked in. She jumped in and reved the engine, flying off the landing pad and into traffic.

xxxx xxxx

Confused and alone in one of the moon's furious rainstorms, Celeste sought shelter and answers from the one place on Nar Shaddaa she felt safe - Arek's Cafe.

She set the bike down in the parking lane outside the building and got off, locking the control mechanism down before walking inside.

"We're closed for the night, Go away before I do something you'll regret" a voice yelled from under the counter

"Oh come on, Arek, we both know you're too much of a sweets patogga to do anything to someone who just walked in off the street" Celeste shouted back, leaning slightly to the side, hand on her hip and rifle slung over her shoulder.

"Coo ya maya stupa. Who is that?" The voice bellowed as the figure stood up "CELESTE! Chowbaso! Kee chai chai cun kuta? It's good to see you!" he said walking up to her. She gave the Gotal a kiss on the cheek

"Good to see you too, Arek. Been too long"

"Indeed it has. Boska, boska" he said, ushering her to a table "So what brings you all the way back to my little world?"

"Faei got injured, I came here to get her treated" Celeste replied

"Serious?"

"Couple lightsaber wounds, medics said she would be fine"

"Lightsaber wounds? What have you been up to? Not crossing the Sith, I hope"

"Oh Arek, you know me"

"Considering I'm the one who found you on Iego, what is it now, eleven years ago?"

"Twelve"

"Twelve years ago, covered in dried blood, dirt and sweat. Barely speaking and cowering in a cave then taught you everything..."

"Almost everything"

"Almost everything you know, I'd say I know you pretty well"

"Why must you always bring that up? You know that's something I've tried to forget" Celeste held her head in her hands

"I remind you in the hope that one day you'll learn that the more you try to hide your past, the more it comes back to bite you in the future" Arek said. Celeste raised her head

"It already has. That's why Faei got injured"

"Oh Celeste, you didn't try to use your Force sensitivity again, did you?"

"Yeah, but that was after we were attacked" She took a deep breath "I went to Taivas"

"Why would do that? I didn't think you were that stoopa"

"It's a long story" she said. Arek looked around

"I don't see any customers"

"I'm just so confused. I mean first Korriban, then waking up on that ship. Then what happened later. Then you. I thought my life had finally found normality"

"But that wasn't the case?"

"No. I ran into a Sith on Atzerri. I did nothing. I stood aside to let him and his troopers walk by. But he turned to me and said my mother would be interested to know I'm alive"

"Your mother?"

"I don't know. I assumed both my parents were dead. The Sith attacked me, I defended myself, and lost control again"

"Oh Celeste..."

"It wasn't a repeat, I swear" Celeste held her hands up "Just a few Imp troopers didn't survive that's all" Celeste tried to innocently shrug "I head back to the ship to rest and the next thing I know some ghosts calling themselves my ancestors are in my cargo bay saying I need to find my father to fufil some prophecy"

"What have you been taking?" Arek inquired

"Nothing! I swear!" Celeste replied "I don't know why, but my gut told me to do what they asked, so as soon as Faei got back we headed to Ossus"

"You know that Ossus, and Taivas for that matter, are strictly off-limits"

"I know, I know. But my instincts told me that I should"

"Go on"

"So we land on Ossus and exit the ship. Before we knew it, some Vong had attacked and knocked us both out. But they didn't kill us. We talked to one of the Vong Shapers. You ever heard of Nei Rin?"

"Yes. I know she presented evidence to the Triumverate proving that the disaster on Wayland was the fault of the Sith instead of her and Skywalker"

"She told us about Taivas. So we went there and found the Jedi Temple, in ruins. Searched through some computers, but didn't find anything. Then some Sith Troopers attacked the ship. Me an Faei went to fight them off. Faei got knocked down and injured, I went ballistic. I felt myself getting stronger the more we fought and then I tried to knock one down so I could interrogate, but instead I blasted three Sith Troopers straight off the platform with nothing but a movement of my hand" Celeste said, looking at her right palm "Rin stabilzied Faei and we came here" she finished. Arek looked to be in deep thought

"These ghosts, did they have names?"

"Skywalkers"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. They said that their names were Skywalker and that I was their descendant, destined to fufil a Jedi prophecy or something"

"Don't hear that every day" Arek said, getting up out of the booth "One thing I know about you, kid, you've always wanted a purpose and to make the galaxy less of a death trap. This might be your chance"

"I don't know what to do. They said I had to find Cade Skywalker. I need help, Arek" she pleaded

"Celeste, I love you like a daughter and my door is always open for you. But I don't think I can help you. When I retired here, I wanted to stay out of galactic issues"

"I know, I know. I'm not asking you to come out of retirement or anything. Just if you've heard something or can give me advice. I'm so lost"

"Keep your sails raised, kid, the wind will guide you" Arek said as he turned around "I heard rumors about Cade after Courscant was abandoned to the Sith. Rumors that he went underground, living on death sticks and liquor to fight his depression. As to where, I don't know. Try Sorocco or Zeltros. I heard he went there often before and Queen Jool is on Zeltros these days. She's a known associate"

"Thanks, Arek" Celeste said as she got up "I owe you one" she said. He laughed

"Kid, you owe me more than you could count. I'll just add this to your tab" he said. She laughed "But if you wouldn't mind leaving an elder alone to clean his shop, I'll cross one favour off your list"

"Deal. I should check on Faei anyway" she kissed his cheek "I'll see you later you big softie" she said as she walked out

"Don't go spreading that around, I do have a reputation to uphold" he said. She just smiled and closed the door.

Returning to her bike, she sat on, geared up and took off.

xxxx xxxx

Flying towards the hospital, she noticed her bike beginning to get sluggish, moving down towards a nearby roof.

Unable to regain control, she jumped off before it hit the building, but the bike merely settled down on the roof top as a figure wearing a long, black and hooded cloak approached her.

"Hey what's the big deal?" she yelled out. A hunch told her she was facing a Force sensitive.

"Hello, Celeste. It's been a long time" the figure said, walking slowly

"I don't know who you are, but stay back" Celeste drew her rifle, only to have it flung from her hands

"You don't remember me?" The figure said, removing the hood, revealing a female face. A Lethan Twi'lek.

"Who are you? Tell me!" Celeste demanded

"I see you really don't remember me. I am your mother. I am Darth Talon"


	6. Chapter 6 Finding the Trail

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 6**

**Finding the Trail**

"I remember you" Celeste said "You were there, on Korriban. I almost died because you brought me there!"

"You disobeyed. Your latent Force ability pulled out the wall" Talon shot back, not moving "We thought you were dead until only a few days ago. Then one of our warriors reported to have found you. Then the security system on Taivas was tripped"

"Oh yeah. Hey how did that Sith deal with his troopers being taken down before he could do anything?" Celeste taunted, to no avail

"He is Sith"

"Oh that explains a lot"

"We are curious as to why it took you so long to come back to our attention"

"I keep a low profile. You Sith tend not to care much about simple freighters that don't supply the Alliance. But did you hear about the Iego incident?" Celeste said, subtly letting her concentration break

"Yes. I investigated that personally. Lord Nihl was convinced it was a Galactic Alliance attack"

"Nope. Just me" Celeste said

"Then you have embraced your nature"

"I fight it every day. I keep it in check" Celeste insisted

"I find that hard to believe. Even now I can sense a struggle inside of you" Talon said, her eyes narrowing

"Why are you here? What do you want?"

"To bring you back to the place you belong. As a Sith at my side" Talon said, shedding her long cloak

"You know where I'd really like to be?" Celeste asked

"Where?"

"Anywhere you're not" Celeste replied and shot a massive burst of Force energy at her mother, sending Talon flying several blocks away, into a building.

Taking a deep breath to regain her control, she mounted her bike and gunned the throttle.

xxxx

Nearing the hospital, she opened a commlink

"Nar Shaddaa Aurek Medical Facility" a voice answered

"I'm looking for a status update on Felecatian named Faei" Celeste inquired

"Hold please" silence "Patient just out of surgery. Fully stabilized"

"Can she be released?"

"Yes"

"That's all" Celeste said and broke the line, pushing the bike to it's max

xxxx

Setting down in the parking lot, she jumped off and ran inside.

Quickly asking for directions, she paid for Faei's bill and ran to get her friend

"You're a sight for sore eyes" Faei said upon Celeste entering her room

"We have to go. Now" Celeste said

"What's the rush? I'd like to stay here and relax on your coin"

"Bill is paid and we have to go. NOW"

"Cel? Why?"

"The red people?" Celeste replied. THAT got Faei's attention.

"Five minutes to dress"

"Two" Celeste said and closed the door.

It opened a moment later. The pair ran down the hallway towards the pad

"What have I missed?" Faei asked

"I went and saw Arek again, had a lovely lunch" Celeste replied

"About the other thing" Faei clarified as they got outside. Celeste stopped in her tracks

"Her" Celeste said, pointing at Talon standing in the parking lot "Get inside and stay there" Faei backtracked and tried to run, but Talon reached out in the Force and grabbed her by the throat

"LET HER GO!" Celeste demanded

"Agree to join me and I will spare her" Talon said

"I said, LET. HER. GO!" Celeste demanded again, drawing her aquired lightsaber and lunging at Talon who was forced to drop Faei to block Celeste's attack. Faei fell to the ground and coughed

"Faei, GO!" Celeste said, holding her ground against Talon. "The answer is still no"

"That is a pity" Talon leaned in close between the lightsabers "My mission is to bring you back to the temple where you can take your place with the Sith. If not, then to kill you"

"Better people than you have tried" Celeste said. Talon failed to notice or sense the car being thrown at her. It impacted with direct force, pushing the Sith to the side and knocking her out

"FAEI! C'MON!" Celeste yelled. Faei ran through the door to the bike

"Was that a Sith?" Faei asked as Celeste gunned the bike back towards the _Legacy_.

"Worse"

"How can it be worse than a Sith?"

"A Sith who happens to be my mother" Celeste replied. Faei couldn't speak.

xxxx xxxx

Setting down beside the _Legacy_, Faei ran up the ramp to start the ship while Celeste docked the speeder bike, then ran up the ramp into the ship, closing it up after her

"Preparing to liftoff"

"Wait"

"Wait? WAIT?" Faei yelled

"Scanning" Celeste said

"For what?" Faei asked

"That. A tracking device on the hull" Celeste said and ran outside

"CEL!" Faei yelled after her "That girl" she sighed

Celeste grabbed a crowbar and smashed the tracer. The pieces crumbled to the ground and Celeste ran back up the ramp, closing it again

"Go go go go go" she yelled. Faei lifted the ship off and gunned the engines, rising fast out of the atmosphere

"So we're safe now, right?"

"Not anywhere close. Set a course for Ossus, I don't think Nei Rin wants to be here"

"Done" Faei replied as Celeste got up

"Glad you're okay, partner" Celeste said

"Oh don't go getting all emotional on me now, Cel" Faei smiled.

"Wouldn't think of it" Celeste chuckled

xxxx xxxx

"Thank you for the detour" Nei Rin said as she and her guards stepped off the _Legacy_'s ramp

"No worries. What will you do now?"

"I'm not sure, but we will see"

"Sounds fun. Here" Celeste tossed her a comm link "If you ever need to reach me for a ride or whatever"

"I appreciate the offer, but we have our own ship hidden away" Nei Rin said and walked away towards the temple

"You never know" Celeste said as the ramp closed and locked. Faei came up behind her

"Okay genius, now where?"

"Zeltros"

"Celeste..." Faei sighed "I don't thing a Zeltron wild party is a good idea right now"

"I mean to go there on business. Gotta talk to Jool"

"Does anyone ever go there just for business?" Faei said as Celeste headed towards the cockpit

"Let's find out" Celeste replied as she sat down in the pilot's seat.

xxxx xxxx

As the _Legacy_'s ramp descended, Celeste took in a deep breath.

"Oh how I love this place" she said

"As you keep saying" Faei said "I'm gonna sit this one out. I've had enough fun for today"

"Suit yourself" Celeste shrugged as she walked down the ramp.

"Give Jool my regards" Faei shouted after her

xxxx

Celeste walked into the area that the Paradise cantina occupied. As usual she caught the eye of several of the Zeltrons, both male and female, that walked by her. Trying to keep her head in the game, she walked over to the bar and sat down

"What'll it be?" the bartender asked

"Boga noga" Celeste replied "And I'm looking for Jool"

"Now who be interested in finding little old me" A voice came from behind her

"That would be me" Celeste replied, turning around

"Celeste, ma pateessa. It's been too long"

"Hello, Jool" Celeste replied

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for someone"

"You've come to the wrong place then, I don't do that kind of business" Jool said, turning around

"Cade Skywalker" Celeste said. Jool stopped in her tracks.

"Now why would you be looking for him?" the Hutt asked

"We all have our reasons" Celeste said, taking a sip of her drink "I figured you of all people might know where he is"

"I might have heard something, but it's not cheap" Jool said. Celeste took out a card and gave it to Jool

"My my, this is more than I had in mind"

"A little extra for that bad memory of yours. Hopefully you'll forget I was here" Celeste said

"Ah yes. All I've heard about Cade from the last few years is that he's been spotted flying in circles around the Arkanis sector"

"That's it?"

"That's it. Though if I know Cade, it means he's dipping in to Mos Eisley on a regular basis"

"Thanks, Jool"

"Drink is on the house if you tell me why you're looking for him"

"I recently learned that he is apparently family. Still not sure I believe it though" Celeste said. Jool studided her

"How did I not notice earlier. You have his eyes, child" Jool said

"Thanks for the drink, Jool"

"Anytime, child" Jool said as Celeste walked out.

xxxx xxxx

"We're coming in to Mos Eisley" Faei said, preparing for landing

"I hoped I would never have to set foot on this planet again" Celeste remarked as the two women stepped off of the ramp and on to the sand that covered the docking bay floor. She wore a long cloak with a scarf wrapped around her face.

"Oh I don't know, abrasive, dirty and everywhere. I would've thought you'd fit right in here" Faei said with a chuckle. Celeste shot her a dirty look. "Oh come on that was funny"

"Right" Celeste said, locking up the ship after Faei had disembarked.

"So where are we going first, oh wise adventurer?" Faei asked

"HoloNet terminal"

"And we couldn't do that from the ship why?"

"I'd rather it not be traced to us" Celeste said

"Why the sudden caution?" Faei asked as the two walked along

"After what happened on Nar Shaddaa, I think it might be prudent to be more careful"

"You sure you don't want to just give up and go back to what we were doing? Might be able to save the job"

"No we wouldn't" Celeste said as she started up a terminal just outside of the docking bay. "I'm checking to see if Cade has logged in to a docking port recently"

"You really think he'd log in using his real name?" Faei asked, keeping an eye out for anyone watching

"I do. Most of the time"

"Can't argue that"

"Well how about that. Someone with a ship similar to the one he has just docked a minute or so ago"

"Where?"

"Bay twenty two, across town" Celeste replied

"That's a trip" Faei pointed out

"I know" Celeste said, running back down the hall. Faei took off after her.

Celeste rounded a corner, heading back into the docking bay. She ran up to the bike hatch and entered her code. Faei did the same for her hatch. Both bikes dropped to the ground. They jumped on and gunned the engines out of the bay's cargo door and onto the street.

xxxx xxxx

Pulling in to the parking bay outside the hangar, the ladies locked down their bikes and ran inside, Celeste pounding the sand, pushing herself to her limit.

Rounding the corner into the bay, it was obvious they were looking at a _Helot_-class transport.

"So, is that it?" Faei asked

I don't know"

"Well why don't you find out?"

"What just go up and knock, say hi have you heard of this guy? He's a former Jedi and all that"

"Why not?" Faei shrugged. Before Celeste could reply, the main ramp descended. The pair took cover behind the stone wall. Celeste could hear two people talking

"Urgh when I find him, I'm gonna..." one voice said

"Do what, Blue? He's been awol for days. Not the first time Cade has vanished. He said he'd meet us in a couple days" the other said back. Celeste pulled her hood over her head and walked out

"Excuse me, that wouldn't be Cade Skywalker, would it?" she said, keeping her head covered

"Who wants to know?" The female asked

"I'm an interested party" Celeste said, observing them closely "No affiliation with the current government, in case you were wondering"

"We ain't giving the captain up for no sleemo" the male said, making visible some Vong weaponry.

"Based on what I heard, you don't even know where he is, though you are pretty sure you have an idea. I have a personal interest in finding him" Celeste said, hoping she wouldn't have to reveal who she was. Faei, also wearing her hood, walked up behind her.

"Personal how?" The female asked "Ex girlfriend? Bounty hunter?"

"None of the above" Celeste said, revealing the lightsaber on her belt "It's a Jedi matter"

"Cade is done with the Jedi. He made that clear years ago after he helped you establish your new base here" the female said. Celeste made sure to pick up on that fact

"That's part of the reason. I've been seperated from the order for so long, I was hoping he could direct me to the temple" she said "Thank you for your time" she turned to walk out, Faei in tow.

Out in the hallway, they tried to keep quiet

"That went well" Faei remarked

"It did, actually" Celeste replied

"Yeah, we know that the new base is on this planet, but that's it!"

"More than that. I have a hunch they know where Cade is"

"So what're we going to do?"

"Split up. I'm going to poke around and see if I can't find the base. You track those two, but be quiet about it"

"You're crazy"

"And then some. It's the best lead we have"

"I can't argue with that" Faei admitted

"Let me know if you learn anything" Celeste said, handing Faei an earpiece communicator

"Oh I figured you'd want me to keep it all to myself" Faei smirked. Celeste shot her a grin and walked off, headed back to the street.

Getting on her bike, Celeste took off at an easier pace, driving down the street looking for nothing in particular.

xxxx

Coming across a cantina, she decided to pop in to take her mind off the last week.

After parking, she walked inside, the place bustling with patrons. She walked up to the bar, ordered a drink and sat down at a booth, taking the heavy scarf off of her face and breathing deeply.

Her drink arrived quickly and she sipped it, glad to have something to cool herself down

"This is not a world I like" she quietly muttered .

As she sat, Faei buzzed her comm

"Go ahead, she said quietly

"So these two are moving around the marketplace talking to people. A bit of shopping for new ship parts"

"Faei?"

"Yes?"

"Are you so annoyed about what I asked you to do that you're going to provide me with as many useless updates as possible?"

"Of course not, I would never..."

"Faei" Celeste said

"Well duh" Faei replied and closed the channel. Celeste shook her head, a small grin on her lips.

A pair sat down at the next table. Celeste tried not to over hear what they were saying, but they were sitting too close to be drowned out. The conversation took an interesting turn when she overheard one of them say that the B'omarr temple which used to be Jabba's Palace was apparently being occupied again by some religious sect other than the B'omarr monks. Ther other scoffed and said it was probably mercenaries or Jawas. But the one insisted he had seen some religious order heading for the temple on a low pass heading in to Mos Eisley.

Celeste figured she had heard enough. She rewrapped her head in her scarf, got up, paid for her drink and walked out.

Back at her bike, she tapped her commlink

"Faei"

"I'm here. These two are renting a speeder and heading out of town"

"Which way?"

"Northish"

"Meet me back at your bike"

"Can do. Oh, and Cel?"

"What?"

"You owe me a round of drinks for this" Faei said

"Deal" Celeste replied


	7. Chapter 7 The Past Comes to Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 7**

**The Past Comes to Light**

"So where are we going, exactly?" Faei asked over comm

"The B'omarrTemple on the edge of the Northern Dune Sea" Celeste replied, adjusting her bike in the wind

"And why are we going to said place?"

"You said those two you were following were heading Northish?"

"Yeah. But they could have been taking the scenic route to Bestine!" Faei insisted

"I overheard a conversation in the cantina that the temple was being occupied by a religious sect"

"You think it's the Jedi?"

"Call it a hunch"

"Sounds good to me"

xxxx xxxx

The temple came into view, slowly getting bigger as the bikes moved the pair ever closer. They rode until they were right outside the gate.

"You don't usually go for the direct approach, Cel" Faei commented, stepping off her bike

"Always a first time" Celeste replied, pulling her hood over her head.

She walked up to the door and banged on it.

No reply. She banged again.

Still no answer.

"Well that worked. So what now?" Faei asked

"The direct approach" Celeste replied, pulling out her aquired lightsaber. The green blade shimmered to life and as it did, the door opened. "See? Worked like a charm"

"You are weird" Faei said

"Tell me something I don't know" Celeste chuckled under her gear

As the gate opened wide enough, it revealed several figures.

"Who are you?" one of them asked

"That doesn't matter. I'm looking for someone" Celeste replied.

"Who?" Another one asked

"Cade Skywalker" Celeste replied. They drew their lightsabers

"What is your interest in Cade?" the Human asked

"Personal" Celeste replied "You really should do a better job of hiding your temple. All I had to do was over hear some people talk in a Cantina to know you were here" she said, walking in

"You have not been given entry" a Bothan said, blocking her path

"What is your interest in Cade?" one of the Humans said.

"Personal"

"You're going to have to do better than that"

"Look, all I know is that some ghosts told me to find him" she said. All the Jedi looked at each other

"Where did you get that lightsaber?" another one, a Twi'lek, asked

"I found it"

"Where"

"Taivas" Celeste replied

"You stole it!" one of the younger Jedi accused

"I appropriated it and it came in handy" she said. A Whiphid approached the crowd

"Do you give your word you are not here to cause harm?" he asked

"I do" Celeste replied

"And you?" he asked Faei

"Same as her" Faei replied

"Very well" he said "Come with us" as he turned around and walked inside. Two of the Jedi guided their bikes inside.

As the gate closed, the Whiphid turned to Celeste

"So now we must find out who you are"

"I'm not entirely sure myself" Celeste replied

"You say you are here to find Cade, why?"

"Because, according to my sources, he can help me figure out my life"

"Can we see your face? It is much easier to trust someone if you can see their eyes" he said. Faei began to remove her hood, but Celeste waved for her to stop as she removed her own.

The hood fell back and the scarf came next.

"I am Celeste" she said

"Just Celeste?" the Whiphid asked

"That's what I'm hoping Cade can help me with" Celeste said as the two from the spaceport walked up

"You two again?!" the female said

"Relax, Blue, they are here as guests, for now" the Whiphid said and turned back to Celeste "What exactly is it that you think Cade can help you with?"

"I don't know"

"You see to be walking in circles" he said

"Can't you just read my mind and be done with it?"

"It's not that simple. We can only sense thoughts and your mind is completely closed. You're hiding everything. So we come back to the question of who are you and why do you seek Cade?"

"As I said, my sources tell me that he can help me find out who I am"

"What sources?"

"Ghosts"

"Do these ghosts have a name?"

"Skywalkers" Celeste replied. That got everyone's attention

"You are saying you spoke directly with the Force essense of the Skywalkers?"

"Yeah"

"And what did they say?"

"That I had to find Cade. That my destiny was fast approaching and that I needed to learn about my history and what my purpose is so that I can live up to the legacy of my lineage or something like that"

"Your lineage? Did they mean that you are a Skywalker?"

"To be honest, I don't know. That's why I have to find Cade. They said he would know"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty one standard years" Celeste finished.

Several of the people looked over at the female the Whiphid had called Blue. She was a Zeltron, but her skin was turning a darker shade of red

"Blue, calm down now" the male said

"Don't say anything, Syn" she said, punched him and slowly began to storm off

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Cade and Blue are involved. But twenty one years ago, Cade was a guest of Darth Krayt in the Sith Temple on Courscant. It was revealed to his rescuers that he was intimate with one of the Sith"

"Talon?"

"How do you know?" he asked

"She's my mother. We had a run in on Nar Shaddaa a few days ago. The Sith appartently thought I died on Korriban when I was four" Celeste said. Blue screamed and ran off.

"So you are saying that Cade and Talon are your parents?"

"As far as I can tell"

"This is serious. We must find Cade. I am Master K'Kruhk" he said and layed a hand on her to guide her deeper into the temple. As he did, he felt a massive surge of energy. It shocked him to the point where he pulled back and ignited his lightsaber

"WHO ARE YOU?" he demanded. Celeste and Faei backed up as the other Jedi ignited their sabers

"Whoa whoa what's going on?" Celeste asked, surprised

"Who are you?" he demanded again

"I'm Celeste?" she replied, meekly

"I have never felt that much Dark Force energy in a person before. You've been touched by someone or something immensely powerful in the dark side. Part of it has become you. So I ask again, who are you?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about" Celeste said "But I mean, my mother is a Sith. Could that be part of it?" she guessed, hands still in the air

"No. It's something different"

"Then what, because I really don't know what you are talking about" Celeste insisted

"OUT OF THE WAY" a voice yelled from down the hall. The group moved quickly as Blue came flying down the hallway in her speeder, heading for the opening gate

"BLUE! STOP!" the man who was with her yelled "She's going for Cade" he said to the group

"We should go after her" Celeste said and jumped on her bike "Faei stay here" she said as the bike was gunned and flew after the speeder.

"Well, alright then" Faei replied "Anyone for lunch?"

K'Kruhk got onto Faei's bike and took off after them.

xxxx xxxx

Celeste pulled her goggles down to keep the sand off of her face. Blue had lowered her landspeeder to kick up more sand, trying to lose Celeste, which had forced her to increase her altitude to avoid most of it.

The never ending sand and rock didn't improve her mood. Not one for bleak and dreary, Celeste preferred a bit of vibrance in her landscapes.

Nearing the four hour mark of their journey, the dust cloud began to settle. Celeste assumed that the speeder had reduced speed. It soon stopped entirely.

The speeder was parked beside a domed structure. It was pockmarked with blaster scars and clearly falling in to ruin. Another speeder was parked and locked down nearby.

Celeste parked her bike and followed the trail of footsteps in the sand, blaster drawn. She walked down the main stairs.

A quick walk and she caught up with the Zeltron walking across the hangar bay where a man lay on a console, surrounded by sand, bottles and used up deathsticks.

"What a sad sight. Skocha kung" Celeste said to herself quietly

"Hey Blue" she heard the man say, he was clearly drunk

"Get up" Blue replied. He slowly managed to get to his feet. Celeste watched as the second he reached his feet, Blue landed a punch so hard he flew back into the wall

"E CHU TA BLUE! What did you do that for?" he demanded

"Chuba doompa, dopa-maskey kung Cade!" she said

"Oh please don't tell me she just said Cade" Celeste wished to herself, slightly disgusted

"What did I do to you?" he asked, trying to get up. She punched him again

"Sleemo. You don't even know?"

"No, what?"

"HER!" Blue pointed at Celeste, now standing in the doorway

"I've never seen her before in my life!" he insisted

"She knows" Celeste said, walking to where they were. Blue, tears rolling down her cheeks, tried to punch him again, but she lacked power and he moved, catching her

"So who are you and why did you break my buzz?" Cade demanded

"You're disgusting" Celeste said as K'Kruhk appeared in the doorway

"Master?" Cade asked

"Yes" he replied

"What are you doing here?" Cade asked

"I followed them. I figured you could use some neutral help" the Whiphid replied

"Great. Can you explain what's going on?" Cade asked

"Keep in mind none of this has been confirmed yet"

"What has?" Cade asked

"Cade, meet your daughter" K'Kruhk said

"WHAT?" Cade reacted, dropping Blue and falling over himself

"She followed Blue and Syn to the palace. She has been looking for you"

"Sorry kid, I don't know who you are, but I'm not your father. I've never had kids" Cade said, addressing Celeste

"That's not what my sources tell me. And I really hope they are wrong"

"Sources?"

"The spirits of your ancestors" K'Kruhk said. Cade sighed looked up at the ceiling

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE" he yelled and fell over again. Celeste kneeled down to where he was

"From what they tell me, you are my father and you can help me with whatever I purpose I have in life. I seriously hope they are wrong, but here I am"

"Okay kid, I'll bite" Cade said "For the sake of arguement, who was your mother then?"

"Darth Talon" Celeste replied. Cade's eyes went wide and he fell backwards, unconcious. K'Kruhk went to put a hand on Celeste's shoulder, but stopped, remember what happened last time

"Celeste, you should take Blue outside. I will bring Cade" Celeste looked down, the Zeltron was weeping, something Celeste had never seen a Zelton do before. She nodded and walked over to her, only to be pushed aside

"I don't need your help" Blue said, standing up to walk out. Celeste turned to K'Kruhk

"I can link Faei's bike to my own. You want to take one of the speeders?"

"I will bring Cade" the Whiphid said

"See you back at the palace then" Celeste said as she watched Cade being hoisted up "Koochoo" she remarked quietly and started to walk outside.

Catching up to Blue, she tried to talk to the Zelton

"Look, I'm sorry if I caused any grief" Celeste said

"You've done more than enough" Blue replied, not looking at her

"If it helps, he really didn't know about me. At all"

"A little" Blue replied, holding her arm

"Good to hear" Celeste said, climbing the stairs that led to the surface.

She quickly tied Faei's bike controls to her own bike before walking over to her own. She properly tied her scarf around her face and put goggle over her eyes.

Double checking the slave-rigging to Faei's bike, she felt it was satisfactory and gunned her bike, heading back to the Palace.

xxxx xxxx

"So I says to Reter, I says, You can't stop us from making this sale and..." Faei continued before being interrupted

"They are returning!" one of the Knights informed the crowd in the commisary. Faei got up with the rest of the group, only she was the only one running towards the entrance hall.

She got there just as the gate was closing. Celeste was already inside, off her bike and looked like she was tinkering with Faei's bike

"You're not messing with my bike again, are you?" Faei asked

"Would I do that again?" Celeste replied

"I'd be surprised if you didn't"

"I'm hurt. But not this time. I had to slave rig it to bring it back" Celeste said

"Oh. Okay" Faei said "Sorry"

"Don't worry about it" Celeste said

"So, did you find him?" Faei inquired

"Sadly, I think so'

"Sadly?"

"Yes. Nothing but skocha kung" Celeste remarked

"Ah I see" Faei said as K'Kruhk stepped out of the speeder carrying Cade

"Is he dead?" Faei asked

"He is alive, but not in the best state of mind" K'kruhk said

"That's an understatement" Celeste rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Faei asked as the Jedi medics loaded cade onto the stretcher

"We found him nearly passed out from death sticks and booze"

"I'd figured the captain was using again, but I didn't think like this!" Syn said, walking up to them

"Believe me, I know death sticks when I see them" Celeste said "And there were quite a few of them"

"Cade will recover, but we must address the issue of you" K'Kruhk said

"What issue?" Celeste asked

"As to what you are. When I made physical contact, I sense an immense amount of darkness inside you. More than any Sith" he replied

"That's disturbing" Celeste said

"I dunno, she does have anger issues" Faei commented with a chuckle. Celeste glared at her

"As I said, my mother was a Sith"

"You have immense darkness, but you draw on none of it"

"Oh, I beg to differ" Celeste said "But I'm not going to get in to detail"

"What do you mean?"

"I've drawn on my anger a few times. It never ended well"

"And yet you seem fully immersed in the light. It is mysterious"

"Celeste as a person is mysterious" Faei snickered. Celeste just rolled her eyes.

"Come before the council in one hour. We would like to discuss this further"

"If you insist. I assume Faei is invited?"

"No"

"I'd say I feel left out, but have fun, Cel" Faei said, leaning against her bike.

xxxx

Celeste walked in to the council chamber. Clearly it was a refurbished throne room. She stood in the light before the four Masters, one of them being K'kruhk.

"Celeste, this is Masters Tili Qua, Arta Helos and Bruhala Forsai" K'kruhk said. Celeste bowed slightly, but her concetration was clearly elsewhere

"Celeste, are you listening?" K'kruhk asked

"Not really. Hang on a second" Celest said, walking up to an artifact display "What is this?"

"An artifact dating from over four thousand years ago, before even the time of the Jedi Civil War" Tili Qua said

"It's fascinating" Celeste said "It's calling me" she reached out to touch it. A shock went through her body and images began to flash in her mind.

_A single planet. Surrounded by wreckage of thousands of ships. A great machine drawing energy from a star. An alien race, bipedal with eyes sticking out from the side of their heads. An empire. Death and destruction. Hope. Rebellion._

_Korriban. A secret invention. A last ditch effort to save a species._

_Extinction. _

_A hybrid child. An accident. An invention rediscovered. Pure darkness. A life changed forever. _

_Korriban. A fleet devastated. A dream in ruins. Fallen Sith. A galaxy's savior or destroyer. Destiny_.

Celeste collapsed on the floor. Master Arta Helos, a Togruta, jumped out of her seat, but was unable to catch Celeste in time.

"She's alive. Just unconcious" the Master said.

"Call the medic" K'kruhk said "What just happened?"

"I don't know. We should remove the artifact"

"But many of us have had contact with it, to no consequences" Qua said

"We will have to wait until she regains conciousness" Master Bruhala, a Human, said.

"Celeste?" Faei exclaimed, entering the chamber with the medic "What happened?" she asked

"She touched an artifact and collapsed"

"Just like that?"

"Just like that" K'kruhk said


	8. Chapter 8 Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 8**

**Memories**

"How is she?" Faei asked, walking in to the medical bay.

"Nothing medically wrong" the healer replied "I have a feeling the shock of whatever happened simply overloaded her senses. She should be fine"

"Well that's good to hear" Faei said. She looked over at the other table where Cade lay, also unconcious "And him?"

"Sudden shock coupled with large amounts of drug usage and alcohol. I know Cade uses the Force to purge his body of toxins at will, but there is so much in his system, we'll have to wait and see if he can" he finished.

Before Faei could reply, Celeste began to groan.

"Hey" Faei said. Celeste groaned and sat up

"What...what happened?"

"You touched somebody's stuff" Faei replied

"What's the last thing you remember?" the healer asked

"I...the artifact was calling to me. It was saying my name with only a whisper. I reached out to touch it, as I did..." Celeste trailed off

"As you did?" Faei inquired

"I need to see the council" Celeste said, jumping off the bed and running out. Faei ran after her.

xxxx xxxx

"A vision?" K'kruhk asked

"Yes. I've studied some histories and I know that Force sensitives have the ability to receive visions. I believe that is what I saw" Celeste said, standing before the council

"Curious. What was this vision about?" Master Helos asked

"I...I'm not sure. I just saw some images in my head. I saw, a planet, a star, something like a station pulling energy from the star. An alien species I'd never seen before. Then I saw myself and I think Korriban. The rest is a blur"

"Hmm" K'kruhk mused, looking at the other Masters, who nodded "Celeste, have you heard of Invasive recall mediation?"

"Can't say that I have. Why?"

"It is technique taught only to Jedi council Masters. Memories can be retrieved and accessed by others through meditation. They can be drawn out by force, which is risky or they can be accessed and controlled by the person in question if they are in a meditative trance"

"So what you are saying is..."

"If we were to all enter into a meditative trance, you could access the memories and share your vision with the council" Qua said

"So what did I miss?" Cade asked, walking into the chamber before Celeste could say anything

"Cade, you're awake" Bruhala said

"Bout time" Celeste muttered under her breath, not looking at him

"What was that?" He demanded

"You heard me" Celeste replied, standing up. Close to his height, she stared him right in the face

"You got something to say?"

"Yeah, I do. I've heard stories about you" she said, advancing on him "The great Cade Skywalker, slayer of Darth Krayt, champion of the galaxy. I used to think you were great, then you were found lying in your own filth, death sticks and alcohol. What a sad sight"

"You got a lot of nerve, coming at me all high and mighty. I've spent years at the bottom, having everything and then having it taken away and then getting it all back only to lose again. Until you've lived my life, kid, don't criticize me" Cade shouted at her

"Oh yeah, they're related" Faei sighed, watching from the doorway

"Cade, Celeste, stop this" Bruhala said sternly. The two stopped shouting at each other. "Now then, Celeste, do you wish to undergo the meditation"

"I'd like to know more of what I saw"

"Very well. Be seated and relax. We will guide you through the process"

Celeste sat down on the floor closer to the corner. Cade sat down nearby after talking with K'kruhk.

"Ohhh no. No no no no" Celeste said, getting back up. Cade just glared at her from under his blonde locks

"Celeste, he is here. Your anscestors wished you two to find each other for a reason" Qua said

"Ugh, fine" Celeste sat back down.

The council Masters sat down in front of Celeste and Cade

"Now Celeste, you will feel your mind being touched. Don't resist" Bruhala said. Celeste nodded. Crossing her legs, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.

The council began to meditate, trying to connect with Celeste.

"That is odd" Helos said

"What is?" Celeste asked, opening one eye

"Yes, I sense it as well" Qua said

"It is most puzzling" Bruhala added

"Anyone care to fill me in

"Your mind is closed"

"I remember K'kruhk said something like that eariler"

"Yes. Her mind was closed when we met yesterday, but at a casual glance, I paid it no mind. It is clear that her mind is closed" K'kruhk said

"Closed? Um, hello?" Celeste asked

"Your mind is sheilded. It cannot be read. Some one or some thing has closed your mind, shielded from anyone from sensing anything inside your mind"

"How is that possible?" Celeste asked

"It isn't. At least not through anything I have heard" K'kruhk said

"Let me try" Cade said, turning to face Celeste.

Both closed their eyes, Celeste could feel something trying to tap into her mind. She offered no resistance, but she felt them getting no closer to her mind. As if whatever was shielding her mind was only visible from the outside.

But like a torpedo penetrating a shield, a crack appeared out of nowhere and the wall, suddenly visible, came crashing down.

Celeste fell backwards, the shock pulling her back to the ground.

"The gate is open" Cade said to the council "But it is closing again"

"Celeste, are you alright?" Bruhala said

"I...I'm fine" Celeste said "I'm ready to try again"

"Very well" Qua said. Celeste sat back up

"Here, let us try again" K'kruhk said, closing his eyes and focusing his mental discipline.

"I see, Rakatans" K'kruhk said

"The Star Forge" Qua added

"Lehon" Bruhala spoke

"Revan" K'kruhk added

"The death of the Rakata" Cade said

"Korriban" Helos said

"I see myself" Celeste said

"Talon" Cade gritted his teeth

"There is a cave" K'kruhk

"A child hurt and alone" Helos

"There is, a device" Qua

"The child is scared" Bruhala

"The device engulfs her" K'kruhk

"I see, the future" Celeste

"Fallen Sith everywhere" Cade grinned

"The Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban" Qua

"Myself again" Celeste said

"Lightsaber in hand, she stands over bodies. Anger and rage consume her" Helos

"She has a choice to make as her parents duel" Qua said

"The rest is blurry" Bruhala added

"Something else comes to light" K'kruhk said "Something dark"

"I see Iego" Cade said

"Whoa whoa that's enough" Celeste stood up and opened her eyes, breaking the meld.

"The wall has gone back up" Cade said, opening his eyes.

"What we saw was pretty clear" Qua said

"What did we see?" Celeste said

"The Rakata were an ancient race. They conqured many worlds using technology embedded with the dark side of the Force" K'kruhk said

"In the end they were so corrupted by the dark side that a slave rebellion and they brought about their own demise" Qua added

"They were encountered by the Jedi Revan at the end of the Mandalorian wars and during the Jedi Civil War. Their tools turned Revan to the Dark Side though he was eventually redeemed" Helos said

"One of their creations, the Star Forge, you saw" Qua said

"What you didn't see was the amount of death they brought upon the galaxy during and after their reign" Bruhala said "They killed and enslaved trillions. Then when Revan found the Star Forge and turned to the Dark Side, he used it to build an army and killed millions more. Luckily they were stopped and when Revan redeemed himself, he had a direct hand in the destruction of the Star Forge"

"The planet you saw is Lehon or as it was previously known, Rakata Prime. It was their homeworld. They officially went extinct three millenia ago. Nothing remains on it" Qua said.

"So what does it all mean?" Celeste asked

"I do not know" Qua replied

"However" K'kruhk added "It does show that you have a destiny"

"And a choice to make" Helos said

"Celeste, have you ever heard the prophecy of the chosen one?" K'kruhk asked

"Can't say it's a fair tale I've heard before" Celeste said

"The prophecy of the chosen one was thought to be just a legend, an ancient tale from before the time of the of the Old Republic. It is said that a powerful Jedi, naturally adept in the Force will arise and bring the Force into balance. No one is really sure of what the prophecy said originally but the Jedi order kept it alive over the millenia as it could" K'kruhk said

"Wait, I thought Anakin was the Chosen One" Cade interjected

"So the council came to believe" K'Kruhk said

"And a lot of good it did them" Cade said

"But that device we saw, I have no clue what it is" Helos said

"The fact that we saw Rakata around it might be a clue as to what it is" K'kruhk agreed

"It seemed to be important. Very important" Celeste said

"Maybe you should train her so she can reveal her true potential and all that" Cade said

"No" Qua said

"No?" Celeste inquired

"You have great Force potential, but you are too aggressive and have too much darkness" K'kruhk said

"I concour" Helos said "It is not possible to train you"

"And who said I wanted to be trained as a Jedi? Before all this my life was just fine, thank you" Celeste said as she watched Cade walk out

"You may stay the night. But we ask you to leave tommorrow" Bruhala said

"And that you not reveal our location to anyone" Helos requested

"Relax, I may not be crazy about the Jedi, but I won't sell you out" Celeste said, walking out of the chamber.

xxxx xxxx

Walking down the hallway from the refresher to her assigned room, Celeste couldn't help but notice Cade standing there

"You know what they didn't tell you?" he asked

"What?" she replied

"That Lehon is still out there. And that the Rakata have a temple there" he said

"And you think there are clues as to what this all is there?"

"Can't say. But I figured you should know at least" Cade said, walking off before Celeste could reply.

xxxx

"So what's the plan, oh great and powerful one?" Faei mocked

"We're leaving. I'm going to visit the council one last time, I need you to slice the computers and find the location of a planet. It'll be called Lehon or Rakata Prime"

"Slice Jedi computers? Are you serious?"

"Yes" Celeste replied "I'll cover you and keep the council on me. Signal me once you're done and packed at the bikes"

"Celeste, one of these days" Faei said as Celeste walked out with her own bag

xxxx xxxx

"So what didn't you tell me?" Celeste said as she walked in to the council room

"Celeste, we are meditating" K'kruhk said

"What didn't you tell me? If all you didn't tell me that there is a temple of Lehon then I can be only mildly offended"

"How did you find out about that?" Bruhala asked

"I have my sources" Celeste answered "So what else didn't you tell me"

"Celeste, we didn't tell you about the temple of Lehon because we did not wish you to run off" Qua said

"Here's the thing, if you'd mentioned that there was a temple, I might've missed or even not cared. But since you chose to hide it..." her wrist computer beeped indicating Faei was ready "...then I really have a curiosity as to what might be there, sooo thanks" she said as she ran out. She could barely hear her name being called as she ran down the hall.

As she ran, she was stopped by the image of her ancestor

"Celeste" he said

"Let me guess, Luke, is it?" she asked

"Yes" he replied while she was walking

"What do you want now?" she demanded

"Your greatest challenge awaits" he said

"Drop in just to tell me that?" she replied, annoyed

"No. That you must be careful. Open yourself to the Force and listen to what it says" he said

"Yeah thanks for the lesson" she said, trying not to sound too annoyed

"CELESTE" he said loudly. She stopped

"What?"

"You can't fight fate. It found me and it will find you"

"Yeah thanks" Celeste said and jogged towards the palace entrance.

Jumping on her bike, she nodded at Faei. The two gunned the throttle and roared out of the palace.

"Won't they follow us?" Faei commed

"No. They don't want to risk exposure over something so trivial. I assume you got the coordinates?" Celeste asked

"Of course" Faei replied

"Good. Let's head back to the _Legacy_. Swing around the outskirts of Bestine"

"Sounds good to me" Faei replied


	9. Chapter 9 Abducted

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 9**

**Abducted**

"Almost there!" Celeste said as the bikes rounded a corner near the landing bay.

Before she could react to oncoming traffic, she was thrown off of her bike and into a nearby wall

"CEL!" Faei shouted out, stopping her bike.

Celeste groaned a fell on to the ground. Faei ran to her side.

"What happened?" Celeste groaned

"You slipped up, I think" Faei replied as Celeste was thrown against the wall again.

Falling to the sand, she groaned and looked at Faei

"Run" she whispered "Now"

Faei stood on her feet and ran as fast as she could. She turned around after she reached a building only to see Celeste, unconcious, being picked up by a Sith. The Twi'lek witch directing them.

Jumping on her bike, she bolted for the _Legacy_. She rounded the corner into the bay to see Cade standing by one of the pads.

"So where's the kid?" he asked. Faei could only point and say

"Sith"

Cade took off at a dead run.

Faei peered around the corner to see Cade locked in a lightsaber duel with one of the Sith. He seemed to be beating the Sith back.

She expected him to slay the Sith, but was surprised when they turned tail and ran, along with their stormtrooper contingent.

Cade walked back to the hanger with Celeste's bike.

"What was that all about?" Faei asked

"They got what they came for. No reason to stay" Cade said "We need to speak to the council"

"Why?" Faei asked

"Because I have a feeling they had an idea this would happen" Cade replied, gunning the bike's throttle.

"Great, just when I feel like I'll have a chance to use my own refresher again, this happens" she complained, gunning her own engine.

xxxx xxxx

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Cade demanded as he and Faei walked into the council chamber

"Knew what?" Qua replied

"Celeste has been abducted by the Sith" Cade replied.

"It was a likely scenario. Though if you are saying we knew it would happen after she left the palace, then no, we didn't" Helos said

"Considering who she is, she would be of great value to the Sith" K'kruhk said

"We have to rescue her"

"Rescue who?" A voice asked from the entrance

"Welcome, Corde" K'kruhk said "What news do you have from the Federation?"

"Nothing new, I'm afraid. They are still consolodate their forces and try to survive" Morrigan Corde replied

"And yourself?" Bruhala asked

"I'm well" she replied and turned to Cade "So, rescue who?"

"A Force sensitive. A very powerful one" Cade replied

"We feel it would be most unwise" K'kruhk said "Celeste has power and potential, but it is unfocused. She has not had any training and has more darkness in her heart then you ever did, Cade"

"We have to do something!" Cade protested

"What's so special about this particular Force sensitive?" Corde asked

"We do not know. We have had no time to meditate on the visions she shared" Helos said

"We do have a theory" Qua said "But it has not been confirmed by any means"

"What is your theory, Masters?" Corde asked

"We believe that Celeste is one from Jedi legend" Helos said

"And the heir to the Skywalker line" Bruhala said aloud. Corde looked at Cade, who gave no reaction

"But it is just a theory at this point" K'kruhk reaffirmed

"Very well. I have a data package from the Federation" Corde said and placed the device on a table "View at your leisure"

Both she and Cade walked out.

"So when were you going to tell me?" Corde demanded once they were out of the Council chambers

"Tell you what?" Cade asked

"That I had a granddaughter. I bet Blue is happy" Corde said

"First off, I didn't know about the kid until yesterday. Secondly, she's not Blue's kid. Blue found out before I did. Hasn't talked to me since we got back from the old moisture farm" Cade said

"Who's her mother than?" Corde inquired

"You really don't want to know" Cade said

"That Sith woman, isn't it?" Corde asked

"I don't know. But considering the kid's age, I think so" Cade replied. Corde punched him "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"Because you deserved it. I bet Blue would agree"

"She does. She really does" Cade put a hand on his jaw.

"So what did they say? Faei said, walking up

"And who are you?" Corde asked, hand on her weapon

"Easy, mom. That's Celeste's partner" Cade said

"Co-pilot" Faei interrupted

"Co-pilot" Cade finished

"You're Morrigan Corde!" Faei remarked

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Corde asked

"Not at all. I'm a fan of your work. I tried to style some of my fighting tactics after your own" Faei fawned over the former Imp agent

"Nice to meet a fan" Corde said

"So what are we going to do about Cel? We can't leave her with the Sith" Faei said

"We aren't. But Courscant is even more heavily controlled now than it was under Krayt" Cade sighed

"The _Legacy_ can get in. We've been on Courscant multiple times. Celeste always hated Courscant" Faei shook her head

"If the ship is in Celeste's name, then we'll be impounded"

"Celeste may not be a full out smuggler, but she has her tricks. We have several IFF transponders with different registeries. One for her, one for me and a couple false IDs. The Sith don't even know me" Faei said with a smirk "We can be on Courscant before the Sith know who we are"

"Sounds good" Cade said, getting up

"The problem is it takes a few hours to switch them out. So we'd have to drop out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere and make the changes" Faei sighed "And I hate changing the IFF transponders. Celeste is going to owe me big for this"

xxxx xxxx

The first thing Celeste felt when she woke up was cold, hard floor. The second was steel around her wrists and ankles. The third was that she felt weaker than before.

She groaned and tried to move

"Don't bother moving" A voice said. Celeste opened her eyes to see Darth Talon standing on the otherside of cell bars

"YOU!" Celeste reacted

"We're in space. You're near the outer hull. We have Force dampening creatures surrounding your cell" Talon said. Celeste glared at her

"What do you want?"

"For you to take your place as a Sith" Talon said and walked out before Celeste could reply.

Celeste continued to struggle against her restraints to no avail.

Luke appeared soon after, just outside the cell

"You wanna help me out of these?" she asked

"I cannot" the Force ghost said

"Well you're a big help" she replied

"You must not attempt escape until the time is right. There is a plan in motion and you will need to be ready. But, for the moment, do not try to free yourself or attack the Sith" he said

"Can you give me a better reason than there is a plan?" Celeste inquired, annoyed

"No. Trust in the Force" Luke said

"You do realize that I never liked the Sith, I fought with them every chance I had and me with a lightsaber in a room full of Sith? They're not gonna live" Celeste informed him

"You will get your chance at them. But this is not the time" he said and vanished

"Well that's great" Celeste sighed.

"Durasteel is always comfy" she said and resigned herself to some much needed rest.

xxxx xxxx

"Okay, that should do it" Faei said, removing the welding goggles and lifting herself out of the maintenence pit onboard the _Legacy_.

"You're done?" Corde asked

"Yes. I have the IFF changed to one of the false registeries. One we haven't used in years" Faei replied, swiping dust off of her shoulder "With the loaded shipment crates in bay three that we always carry, we'll look like we have actual cargo on board. In case we get stopped"

"You two thought of everything. I'm impressed" Corde said

"Celeste isn't stupid. First thing she did when she inherited this ship was outfit it as much as she could. She may be a legit cargo captain, but she's never shyed away from smuggling some hard to find supplies for people who need them" Faie said "But her mechanical skills aren't up to my level. She does keep surprising me though"

"That's nice" Cade said "We should get under way. Coruscant is still a day away and they have a headstart" Faei just laughed.

"Yeah. Let's fly. But nothing can outrun the _Legacy_" Faei said, standing up and covering the maintenence hatch.

xxxx xxxx

A sharp pain forced her awake

"OW!" she yelped, looking around. One of the Sith was drawing some of her blood "What're ya doing that for?" she inquired

"We need to run some tests. I am Lady Maladi" the Sith said

"And I'm Relta the Hutt. Can I go home now?" Celeste mocked. The Sith said nothing, walking out of the cell

"You'd do best to hold your tongue" she said and walked out. Celeste shrugged and sat.

Some time passed before the door opened again. Talon and several guards walked in.

"Now it's a party" she said as the door opened. Her ankle cuffs were unlocked remotely.

"Get up" Talon commanded. Celeste tried to stand, but her bound hands made it difficult.

Talon nodded and two Sith warriors pulled her to her feet.

xxxx

Celeste was thrown down on the floor in what seemed to be a throne chamber

"So, this is her?" the Sith standing on top of the dias asked

"Yes. This is my daughter, Lord Nihl" Talon replied

"I sense much power from her" he said. Celeste blew a strand of hair out of her face

"And you are?" she inquired

"I am Darth Nihl. That is all you need to know" he said "We welcome you to the fortress of the Sith"

"And why have you brought me here?" Celeste inquired further

"You do not know your purpose?" he asked

"I know that the Sith are a bunch of scum that the galaxy would be best to get rid of" she said. Talon used the Force to push her down

"You will show respect" she demanded. Celeste just grinned behind her messy hair

"No. And you can't do anything about it since I have it on good information that you all want me alive and kicking" she looked at Nihl "You sense my power, just consider that I'm surpressing my real power so you can't sense it"

"Such vigor. I remember when your father was a guest of our master, Darth Krayt. He put up a fight. He began to show respect within short order" Nihl said

"That's not how I heard it" Celeste laughed. Nihl gritted his teeth. "You know you can't brainwash me into being a Sith nor can I join against my will" Celeste sneered

"We will see" Nihl replied "Take her back to her cell" Celeste let out a smirk as she was dragged away from the chamber.

xxxx

"So what made you become a Sith?" Celeste asked her mother who stood on the other side of her cell

"I was born Sith" Talon replied

"So your parents were Sith?"

"Yes"

"Never dreamed of anything beyond it?"

"No"

"You're full of answers" Celeste rolled her eyes "So why did you never search for me? On Korriban, I mean"

"You disappeared from the Force. You died. There was no point" Talon said

"Way to make me feel special" Celeste sighed "You know I won't just roll over and become one of you? I hate Sith, I despise your kind for all you have done to the innocent people of this galaxy over the millenia"

"Hate. Anger. Those are Sith emotions. In time, you will succumb to their temptations. Everyone does" Talon said, moving towards the door.

"I already have" Celeste said, trying to keep her memories quiet.

xxxx xxxx

Once again tossed on the floor in Nihl's throne room, Celeste rubbed her shoulder.

"Have you changed your mind?" he asked

"Have you changed your ugly makeup yet?" she taunted

"My patience grows thin" Nihl said "Take her to the Embrace. Lady Maladi is quite skilled in the art of torture with Yuuzhan Vong devices. You will break"

"I'll break your face, that's what I'll break" Celeste grinned as she was dragged away.

xxxx

"The Embrace of Pain is designed to stilmulate your nervous system. The more you fight it, the more it holds on" Maladi said as Celeste hung upside down

"This is comfy. I'll just relax" Celeste said, taunting Maladi and trying to not let herself move

"The Embrace will break you. It has been used to turn many into Sith" Maladi said as Talon walked into the chamber

"Let me tell you a story" Celeste said "There was a little girl, alone and hurt, the only witness to an event so downright evil that she lost control of concious mind. She delved into being powered by her fear and her anger. Her utter rage to the point that nothing remained of her concious identity. What would you call that person?"

"A Sith in training" Maladi replied

"Exactly" Celeste said

"What is your point?" Maladi inquired

"I've walked the Dark side. I've seen it's power and what it offers. I'm not interested. If I must then I use what power I want without letting it control me. There is nothing you can do that can rival the experiences I've had and send me to that place" Celeste informed the Sith Lady

"We shall see"

xxxx xxxx

"Ah Coruscant, shining jewel in the galaxy and home to some of the most corrupt people the universe has ever seen" Faei remarked as the _Legacy_ began it's approach to the surface.

"So where do we look for Celeste?" Corde inquired

"You're in the intelligence agent" Cade said

"I haven't been on Coruscant since the Sith came back" Corde replied

"The temple would be a good place to start" Cade suggested

"It might. How do you suggest we get in?" Faei asked

"The underground passages" Cade suggested

"The Sith would have sealed them off this time" Corde said

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Cade demanded

"We wait. Celeste can take care of herself. Once fireworks start at the temple then we move" Faei said

"We came all this way to wait?" Cade gitted his teeth

"No" Faei replied "We came all this way to rescue Celeste, but I don't feel much like wandering into the Temple and getting my tail cut off"

"You two have your fun" Corde interrupted "I'm going to check out the Temple"

xxxx xxxx

"OWWWW" Celeste yelled "That was a bit too much"

"Most would have given in by this point" Maladi said

"You know what keeps me from giving in?" Celeste asked

"What?"

"The fact that it annoys you" Celeste taunted once more, only to have Maladi unleash Force lighting on her.

"Lord Nihl wishes to speak with her" Talon said, walking in once again

"Very well, release her" Maladi instructed the guards. Celeste fell to the floor.

"Oh that's better. Thanks mom" she said. One of Maladi's computers beeped.

"Tell Lord Nihl I will join him shortly" she said. Talon nodded and walked out, Celeste being dragged behind her.

xxxx

"Talon informs me that you are resisting the Embrace" Nihl said.

"Oh yeah. It's great fun" Celeste continued to mock the Sith Lord. Before anyone could reply, Maladi burst into the room

"What is it, Lady Maladi?" Nihl asked

"My lord, my experiments have produced something strange" she replied

"Strange how?"

"Are you aware of the harvester legend?" she asked

"Yes. Similar to Lord Nihilus, who fed off of the Force. The legend speaks of a being so powerful that it can drain Force energy from Force users to strengthen itself. But it is just a legend" Nihl insisted

"I believe not. I believe this girl is the harvester. Has my lord not felt the drain on his energy since she arrived?" Maladi inquired

"I have felt more tired than usual. But dealing with this one has tested my patience" Nihl replied

"She is the harvester. She unconciously draws Force energy from all of us. That is why she was able to resist the Embrace for so long" Maladi said. Celeste and Talon listened intently. "She is the being of Sith lore!"

"Then she is a threat to us" Nihl said "Talon, kill her!"

Celeste watched as Talon drew her lightsaber and activated it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the ghost of Luke standing near a window. He nodded. She smiled.

Talon hesitated, only for a second.

Celeste wrapped her foot around a Sith and swung him into her mother. Talon's blade went right through his head, killing him instantly.

For the first time in days, she stood up under her own strength. Her clothes ripped and her hair a mess. She let out a battle cry, untentially sending a wave of Force energy with it that knocked all the Sith to the ground.

Picking up Talon's lightsaber, Celeste ran for the window Luke had been standing at.

She jumped through, expecting to slide down the temple exterior to the ground. But what she saw was not the Courscant skyline, but rather an underworld plaza occupied by Stormtroopers.

They began firing at her.


	10. Chapter 10 Journey

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 10**

**Journey**

She landed on the plaza floor and began to run away from the temple, dodging blaster bolts as best she could.

Swinging the lightsaber, she managed to deflect a few bolts here and there, trying not to let her luck get to her head.

She picked up a blaster from a fallen trooper and began shooting back, taking cover behind whatever she could find.

Managing to score several direct hits, she moved along. She picked up a thermal detonator and tossed it at a group of troopers. The explosion threw many of them into the air. During the chaos she jumped over the crates and ran towards the only exit she could see, blasting away with her aquired rifle.

She slid out the exit, troopers hot on her trail. Tossing another detonator, she tried to collapse the hallway behind her. The device exploded, damaging the durasteel hallway, but not destroying it as she had hoped.

xxxx

The hallways exited into a larger plaza stretch. With Stormtroopers hot on her tail, Celeste wasted no time in continuing to move.

When she turned and saw no troopers on her tail, she ducked into a small clothing shop.

Looking over at the shopkeeper, she said quietly

"I'm not here to hurt you"

"Are you one of the Sith?" the person asked, looking at the lightsaber on Celeste's belt

"No. I just escaped from the temple" Celeste replied. The person ushered Celeste into one of the changing rooms and tossed some clothes over the door.

Celeste heard the clatter of boots as the troopers went by.

"They are gone" the shopkeeper said

"Why did you help me?" Celeste asked, coming out of the changing room

"Because I do not like the Sith. Whoever is against them is a friend of mine" the shopkeeper replied. Celeste grinned.

Ripping into her torn pants, she pulled out a small credit card from a hidden pocket

"There isn't much on here, it's a private account, but take it" Celeste said, as she grabbed some new clothes

Running out of the store in new cargo pants and a short sleeved t-shirt with a jacket overtop, Celeste walked down the walkway, sliding Talon's lightsaber into the inside of the jacket and carrying the blaster by it's barrel.

She slipped in to a nearby cantina. Sitting up at the bar, she looked at the bartender

"Hey, you got a Holonet terminal in here?" she asked. He nodded and pointed to a small computer in the corner.

Celeste walked over to it. Taking a quick look to make sure no one was looking, she reached under her jacket and tore a piece of skin off of her shoulder.

Attaching it to the terminal input, the patch began to glow. Information began to pop up on the screen. Locational data. "CORUSCANT" was what was displayed.

"Well that's good. I see Faei didn't waste any time" Celeste smirked

xxxx

With a yawn, Faei began to wake up.

Realizing that she had fallen asleep in the engineer's chair, she looked at the ships chronomiter, then began to wonder what that beeping noise was.

Then it hit her. She began to type on the ships Holonet tranceiver terminal. Locational data began to be displayed. "LEVEL 2607. CAFE UNDERLIGHT. SECTOR AUREK" it displayed with a map accompanying it. Faei smiled and got up from her chair.

Cade was pacing around the cargo bay.

"Your mother didn't leave a way to contact her, did she?" Faei asked. Cade held up a comm unit

"Tell her to get back here pronto" Faei said

"Why?" Cade asked

"I found Celeste" Faei replied. Cade pressed a few buttons on the device as Faei ran to the airlock.

Corde touched down a few moments later

"You found her?" she demanded to know

"Yes" Faei replied, punching in her code to the bike rack

"How?" Cade asked, standing near the ramp

"After the incident on Cato Nemodia, which I'm sure Cel would love to tell you about, we both decided it would be best if we each carried a tranceiver patch linked to the _Legacy_ through the Holonet and another short range patch. I got a signal from hers" Faei informed them

"So where is she?" Corde asked

"The undercity" Faei replied "Level 2610 was what I got. Either of you know a place called Cafe Underlight?"

"Yes. It was famous for it's reputation as a place to arrange for the hiding of people who didn't like the government under Krayt. Though it was never proven" Corde said

"That's where the signal came from" Faei said as the bikes dropped to the landing pad "So she's escaped"

"If I remember my layouts correctly, Cafe Underlight is almost directly underneath the Sith Temple" Corde said

"Doesn't matter. She's there now" Faei said and looked at Cade "You wanna take her bike?". Cade didn't reply as he climbed on

"I'll meet you there. I have my own way in" Corde said and took off with her jetpack.

xxxx

Celeste stood in the shadows across the cafe. She figured that she'd wait another hour or so for Faei to show.

Stormtroopers kept running by, but none of them noticing her.

She let out a yawn. Realizing just how long it had been since she'd had a decent night of sleep.

She watched as a woman with blonde and slightly grey hair walked into the cafe. _No one of interest_ she told herself.

Shortly after, Faei walked in. Celeste smiled and stepped out of the shadows, walking across the bridge to the cafe

"CEL!" Faei exclaimed, giving her partner an embrace

"Nice to see you too, Faei" Celeste replied "Cade" she said

"Good to see you alive" Cade said as blonde woman approached "Mom, meet your granddaughter"

"Mom?" Celeste inquired

"Morrigan Corde" the woman replied, extending a hand

"Nice to meet you. Shall we go?" Celeste suggested

"Bikes are this way" Faei said, walking out of the cafe.

xxxx xxxx

Celeste breathed a sigh of relief as the bike touched down on the landing pad.

"Let's get moving" Celest said as she locked up her bike

"So where are we going?" Corde asked

"Lehon. I want answers" Celeste replied

"You sure that's a good idea?" Faei asked "I mean now that the Sith are on your trail"

"And where is Lehon located?" Celeste asked

"The unknown regions, why?" Faei replied

"I don't think they'll be looking for us there" Celeste said, walking up the ramp.

As Celeste walked into the main cargo hold of the _Legacy_, she put the stolen blaster down on the table and then realized she had the lightsaber in her pocket. She pulled it out and Cade reacted

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked with gritted teeth

"You mean my mother, I mean Talon's lightsaber, then yes. I grabbed it when I escaped" Celeste said, cradling the weapon.

"So what was the temple like? Faei asked as they walked to the cockpit

"I don't think I was in the temple" Celeste said "It was made to look like thet temple, but when I jumped out the window, I emerged in the undercity"

"So they use a base under the temple then?" Corde inquired

"Seems that way" Celeste said as she sat in the pilot's seat "Let's get underway"

xxxx xxxx

"Coordinates for Lehon locked in" Faei reported

"Let's kick this" Celeste said with a grin, throttling the hyperdrive to full power.

The stars elongated as the ship accelerated into hyperspace. Celeste always loved the look of the hyper jump.

"I'll take the first shift if you want to get some rack time, Cel" Faei said. Celeste smiled and nodded

"Sounds like a plan" Celeste said, getting out of her chair "I'll see you in twelve"

"We're in hyperspace" Celeste said, entering the main hold where Cade and Corde were sitting "Navicomputer says it should be about two days"

"So why are we going there? Lehon is a dead world" Corde inquired

"I had a vision that included Lehon. And the Jedi Council thought they should conceal some information about it. Those are enough reason to go" Celeste replied

"Makes sense. What are you hoping to find?" Corde asked

"I don't know. Something to help me explain everything" Celeste replied, taking a drink from a bottle that was on top of a crate.

Sitting down at the engineer's station, Celeste stretched her legs out

"So Celeste" Corde began "How did you come to learn of your lineage?"

"Funny story. It was just after I encountered a Sith on Atzerri, say two weeks ago or so. After I got back to the ship, some ghosts appeared to me and said that I was the heir to Skywalker line and that I should seek out my father" Celeste replied "That's it"

"And you always do what ghosts tell you to do?" Corde asked

"Can't say it's ever happened before. But my guardian and my mentor both taught me respect for those who have earned it. As tarnished as the legacy may be..." Celeste said, eyeing Cade, who responded with an annoyed

"Tarnished?"

"You do death sticks and drink yourself to the point of stupidity. You ignored your legacy for years and fought against who you are every step of the way" Celeste shot at him

"She has a point" Corde said "Continue, Celeste"

"Anyway, the legacy of the Skywalkers is legendary. They are names and voices to be respected, so I believe. I wasn't amused by their appearance at all. But they offered me something I long desired"

"And that is?" Corde inquired

"Purpose. I was on Iego for almost five years. Then spent the next eight flying the hyperlanes. I wanted my life to have a purpose and mean something. I wanted to do something for the Galaxy"

"You really are Kol's granddaughter" Corde said with a rare smile "So what happened after Atzerri?"

"We set course for Ossus" Celeste said, stretching back in her chair

xxxx xxxx

"Ah nothing like a shower after days in a Sith temple" Celeste said, stepping out the refresher.

After stopping by her bunk to pick up a couple items, she headed to the cockpit.

Cade was slouched on the bench, passed out. Corde was no where to be seen.

Celeste entered the cockpit to find Faei reading from a datapad

"Oh hey" Faei said, putting her legs down

"Hey. Switch time" Celeste said

"Then I stand relieved, O Captain" Faei mocked. Celeste just rolled her eyes as Faei walked out.

Checking the instruments, Celeste made sure everything was in working order before she put her legs up on the co-pilot's chair and pulled out Talon's lightsaber.

Cradling it in her hands, she felt every part of it. It felt alive. The Yorik coral brought a uniqueness to it that didn't exist in the lightsaber she had previously handled.

She put it down on the main console and picked a datapad out of the storage cabinet. Munching on a snack, she scrolled down the screen, trying the find the last spot in her reading.

xxxx

Celeste managed to relax for a couple hours before Corde walked in.

"I didn't think anyone would be in here" she said

"Huh? Oh. Me and Faei have a thing if we're travelling uncharted, rarely used or non standard hyperlanes, one of us is always in the cockpit. Just a precaution" Celeste replied

"Ah, I see" Corde replied

"Did you need something?" Celeste inquired

"No. I just like the look of hyperspace" Corde replied

"It is beautiful" Celeste agreed

"You planning on using that?" Corde asked, nodding towards the lightsaber on the console

"I was planning on keeping it" Celeste replied

"Why?" Corde asked, sitting down in a passenger chair

"As a reminder. A reminder of where I came from and where I could end up if I'm not careful" Celeste replied "It is a very elegant weapon, but capable of such amazing power and destruction if not controlled"

"Like you?" Corde asked

"Yes. Like me" Celeste replied "It'll be my reminder"

"Sounds like you have some demons" Corde said

"I do" Celeste said, looking out the viewport, then turing back to Corde "Don't you?"

"We all have demons, child" Corde replied

"As an Imp agent, I bet you do" Celeste said, her eyes back on the stars

"More than that. I was an Imperial Agent, a Moff and a mother twice over. As an agent, I killed and instigated chaos. As a Moff I instigated a war that ended with the twist of Kol being killed. I betrayed two Emperors" Corde said, looking down "As a mother, I had two children and ended up leaving both of them with their fathers to pursue my own life" she turned back to Celeste "We all have demons and we all have emotional baggage"

"But how do you deal with it? How do you live with what you have done?" Celeste asked

"I move on. What's in the past is in the past and nothing can change that" Corde replied "You can't go through life dwelling on your demons"

"Even when they cause so much pain?" Celeste asked

"Especially when they cause so much pain" Corde insisted "Keep them in your mind, never forget them, but don't let them stop you from living. Just learn from them"

"I guess. I'm just afraid of letting my demons control me again" Celeste admitted

"If you dwell on them, they will always control you" Corde said

"I suppose that's true" Celeste admitted

"What are these demons that bug you?" Corde inquired

"You hear about Iego, about twelve years back?" Celeste asked. Corde nodded. Celeste sighed and pointed at herself.

"That was you?" Corde exclaimed

"Partly" Celeste replied, looking down

"I couldn't believe that report when I heard it" Corde said "It sounded impossible with the given circumstances"

"Yeah, I read the reports on the HoloNet" Celeste sighed "But it's actually worse than the reports made it out to be"

"How so?" Corde inquired

"Well..." Celeste started as the door opened

"Hey Cel" Faei popped her head in "I'm making some chow. Want any?"

"What are you making?" Celeste asked

"Nerf steak" Faei replied

"Sure" Celeste said and looked at Corde, who nodded

"Coming up!" Faei said and walked off

"I didn't realize freighter ships had such food available" Corde said. Celeste shrugged

"We normally just have ration packs, but Faei likes to cook and every so often come across a decent deal on foods, so we stock up. That and Arek gets regular shipments that we usually run so we get a smaller cut of the profits in exchange for a bit of the stock"

"So who is this Arek?" Corde asked

"He's my mentor. He found me on Iego all those years ago and took me under his wing as a freighter captain. Four years ago he retired to owning a cafe on Nar Shaddaa. I went back to Iego to reclaim my guardian's ship and start my own career. But Arek taught me everything he knew about bartering, diplomacy, everything"

"You sound like you really respect him" Corde said

"I do. He saved me from darkness. He also trained me to not use my Force abilities" Celeste finished

"For someone who has had no training and actively suppressed her Force abilities, what I hear is that you are a natural" Corde said, looking out into space

"I am. It just comes to me. To be honest, I haven't strictly followed Arek's training. I still used the Force, but only when I needed to. Like when I needed to stay alive in a firefight" Celeste said

"I see. So have you decided what you are going to do after Lehon?" Corde asked

"I don't know. If I find something I can use to get clear of all this, I'll probably just go back to running my routes. If not then I might just find some place to hide out in the Outer Rim" Celeste replied "But I really don't know"

"And you're going to keep the lightsaber as a trinket? Hang it around your neck like a ball and chain until one day you wake up and realize that you've carried that weight around with you for more years than you realize that it's weighed you down for most of your life?" Corde asked

"I hadn't thought about it that way" Celeste said

"No. The Sith want you. You've survived all these years because you were not on their sensors. Now you are" Corde said

"And they want to kill me" Celeste admitted

"Kill you?" Corde inquired

"I'm a threat to them. They called me the Harvester" Celeste said "Maladi burst into the throne room and said I was a being from Sith lore, the Harvester. Nihl ordered my mother to kill me. If Talon hadn't hesitated for that split second, I'd most likely be dead. They don't want me to join them, they want me dead"

"What did they mean by the Harvester?" Corde inquired

"Apparently I absord dark Force energy. I drain Sith of their power" Celeste replied "But I don't know how or why"

"Maybe it's time you stopped running and started fighting" Corde said. Celeste looked to be in deep thought for a time.

She finally looked up

"Agent, could you take the controls until Faei returns at thirteen-hundred?"

"Of course" Corde replied

"Thank you. There are protein snack bars and reading material in the locker at the rear of the cockpit" Celeste said as she got up "I think I have some training to do"

Celeste walked out of the cockpit and into the lounge area where Cade was sleeping. She walked up to him and pushed on his shoulder

"Wake up" she said and pushed him again

"Huhh. Blue. Where are you Blue" he said, still asleep. Celeste rolled her eyes and smacked his face with her palm. He woke with a shock

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. Celeste loomed over him

"Train me" she demanded, holding out Talon's lightsaber

"What?" he asked

"Train me to use this" she repeated, holding it out

"You're crazy" he groaned. She ignited the blade. The crimson red hue light up the darkened lounge. Cade rolled back over. Celeste grinned

"Changed your mind" she asked

"You gonna try and kill me?" he inquired

"No, just figured seeing this blade might move you a bit" she replied

"I can't just train you to use a lightsaber" Cade said

"Why not?" she asked

"Because you lack discipline" he said. Celeste chuckled. Cade glared at her

"You, who was found lying in the sand at an abandoned moisture farm surrounded by booze and death sticks, are telling me that I lack discipline?" Celeste snickered

"It takes years of training to get to the point where you can even build your own lightsaber" Cade said

"I know how to use a sword, I have a lightsaber, I meditate often and I can move stuff with my mind" Celeste said, calling a cup from the work desk to her hand "What more do I need?"

Celeste deactivated the blade and sat cross legged on the deck with the lightsaber right in front of her. Cade sighed and stood up

"Alright" he said "But you have to follow my instructions to the letter, understand?" Celeste nodded. Cade took the same position in front of her, cross legged on the deck plating

xxxx xxxx

"Good, but your attacks lack power" Cade said, backing off from attacking Celeste "You won't break Sith defenses with light parries and retreats" He stepped forward and took another swing. Celeste deactivated the lightsaber, dodged Cade's attack and elbowing him in the back before reactivating her blade and standing over him.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed" Cade said, standing back up. Celeste smiled.

Before either could say anything, Faei came over the comm

"We're coming up on Lehon" she said. Celeste started heading towards the cockpit.

"How are we looking?" Celeste asked, sitting down at her seat

"Very good. All systems check out and we are ready to deccelerate" Faei replied

"Good to hear" Celeste said. She pulled back on the throttle and the ship exited hyperspace.

Debris flooded the viewport. Wreckage of ships Celeste didn't recognize. She manuvered as best she could to avoid it. Even with the shields raised some damage was done to the hull

"Strap in" Celeste said "It's gonna be a bumpy landing!"

Flames shot across the viewport as atmosphereic entry began

"It's not usually this bumpy" Faei said

"Faei, we don't usually have this much debris in orbit clogging the sensors" Celeste replied

"True" Faei said, adjusting her own controls "Landing sequence set. Stabalizers at maximum. Landing gear locked"

"Retract landing gear. Divert all power to repulsors and shields" Celeste said

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Faei responded

"We're going in over water. Landing gear isn't going to do anything if we break up" Celeste said. Faei sighed and flipped a couple switches

"Landing gear retracted. All power diverted to repulsors and shields" Faei said

"Cut life support everywhere but the cockpit. Disable main engines. Transfer all power to repulsors" Celeste ordered

"You're insane" Faei replied as she made the transfer

"No question, but hopefully we'll survive" Celeste said "Kicking in planetary replulsors...now!"

The _Legacy_ began to slow as it came over the ocean. Celeste still gripped the controls

"Repulsors at two hundred percent power. I'm diverting bleed off energy to the primary engine so they don't explode" Faei said, tapping her console

"Ten seconds till impact" Celeste said.

Water hit the viewport with tremendous force and Celeste felt everything go dark.


	11. Chapter 11 The Past Brought to Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 11**

**The Past Brought to Light**

With a groan, Celeste opened her eyes. Everyone else was unconcious. Corde was strapped in her seat, Cade had been thrown to the back of the cockpit. Faei had her head down on the console.

When her memory returned, she tapped her console. The ship was intact, no major hull breaches. Systems online. Chronometer said that she had been out for all of twenty minutes.

Powering up the repulsors and the engines, she raised the ship from the water. Steering towards land she tried to find a spot to set down. A large structure loomed on the horizon, just past some slight hills.

Lowering the landing gear, she put the _Legacy_ down as close to the structure as she could.

With the power down sequence complete, she tapped Faei, who didn't reply.

Yanking on the Felecatian's tail caused a very loud reaction

"YOWWWWWWWWW" Faei yelled. Celeste couldn't stop laughing

"DAMMIT CEL!" Faei said

"What?" Celeste shrugged "You weren't waking up any other way" she smirked. Faei glared at her.

Cade and Corde slowly awoke.

"Good news is that the ship seems to be okay and in working order" Celeste said "But I'd rather make sure. Faei can you go over as much of it as you can?"

"Sure, but I could use a hand" Faei replied

"I'll stay" Corde said

"Great. Cade, you're with me" Celeste said as she slung her vibro-sword in it's sheath over her back.

"Where ya going?" Faei asked

"There is a structure just over there, I want to check it out" Celeste replied, walking down the main ramp, blaster rifle in hand "And find out what caused the rough landing!" She yelled up the ramp

xxxx xxxx

"There is something very odd about this place" Celeste said as she and Cade walked over some of the ruins.

It had clearly been an important structure, but what kind, Celeste wasn't sure

"It looks ancient" She said

"Of course it does. It's almost thirty thousand years old" Cade said

"Har har" Celeste replied back as she stepped over a fallen pillar. The exterior was crumbling and covered in plants.

Stepping up to the entrance, Celeste un-sheathed her vibro-sword and began to hack at the vines covering the entrance. They fell away, granting the duo acess to the interior.

"Whoaaaaa" Celeste remarked as they entered the building. The entrance hall was massive and sculpted. Even covered under plants and falling apart it was beautiful to Celeste's eyes.

"Hang on" Celeste said, stopping beside a statue "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Cade replied

"That voice" Celeste said

"I heard nothing" he replied

"You sure?" She said "I distinctly heard something"

"You're going crazy" Cade smirked. Celeste shot him a grin before stepping on a tile and falling down several feet, landing with an

"Ooof"

"You okay?" Cade called down

"Yeah, I'm fine" Celeste replied, turing on her rifle light. Looking around she tried to see a way up

"_Celeste_" she heard. Whilring around she rested her cheek on the rifle butt, keeping the sights lined up

"WHO IS THERE?!" she demanded

"Just me" Cade said from above

"Not you. You really didn't hear that?" she asked

"No" he replied. Celeste grumbled quietly

"_Only you can walk through the door_" The voice said again

"WHO ARE YOU?" she demanded

"_I am the temple_" the voice replied "_You, and only you, can walk through the door_" it said as a door opened near where she stood. She began to walk forward

"Where are you going?" Cade yelled

"I don't know, but I feel like I should. Wait for me" she said.

xxxx

The door closed behind her with a slam.

A hologram appeared in front of her

"I am glad you acceted my offer" it said

"Who are you?" she asked, rifle raised

"I am no threat to you" it said "I am, in your language, called Keeper"

"What are you?" Celeste asked

"I am this temple. I am all that is left. My program is charged with protecting the legacy of the Rakata" Keeper said "The question remains as to why you are here"

"I had a vision. It included something called the Star Forge, and this planet" Celeste replied

"The Star Forge was our greatest creation" Keeper said, moving along the passageway "But it was also the instrument of our destruction. The one called Revan brought it back to life and then ended up destroying it"

"How long have you been here?" Celeste asked, walking alongside Keeper

"My program has been active for twenty five thousand of your years. You are the first to witness this program's full activation. Not even Revan knew the full purpose of this temple" Keeper said

"What is it's purpose?" Celeste asked

"To make sure that part of the Infinite Empire remains, to make sure that our mistakes are not repeated" Keeper replied

"That makes sense" Celeste said "So this Infinite Empire. I've never heard of it"

"It spanned the galaxy. Standing for over ten thousand years it was a society unlike any other" Keeper said "My people were powerful in what you call The Force. But only in the dark"

"Hold up" Celeste said, stopping "How do you know so much about our society when you were here all alone for all those years?"

"I scanned your ship's database. I am up-to-date on all galactic events since the last contact was made, over one thousand years ago" Keeper replied

"Oh, okay" Celeste said

"In here, please" Keeper said

"Why?" she asked

"Because I must show you something" it said "Stand in the light" it disapeared. Celeste shrugged and stood in the beam. It shut down and the room lit up. A sphere made of metal. Images began to appear on the wall. The species Celeste had seen in her vision appeared.

"At the end of our society, we were ravaged by a plague that destroyed our Force abilities. Since all of our technology was infused with the Force, we were unable to control it. Our slaves revolted. We were nearly wiped out. Those who were able to retreat to the homeworld did so out of fear. Descending into madness our population became a shadow of what it once was. When the one called Revan visited our world over twenty thousand years later we were scattered into tribes" Keeper narrated. Celeste sat cross legged as the story continued "Revan eventually destroyed the Star Forge. Our world was accepted into the Republic, but our history was supressed. Eventually we all died out leaving our world as a barren waste and our space poluted with debris from many wars"

"Wait, was one of the world's you occupied Korriban?" Celeste asked

"Yes" Keeper replied

"I was there, I saw a device. Can you tell me what it was?" Celeste asked

"Describe it" Keeper said. Celeste began drawing in the dust. The device was etched out as best she could remember

"It looked like this" Celeste said. A light shone on the drawing.

"Is this the device you speak of?" Keeper asked, displaying an image

"YES! That's it!" Celeste said

"Impossible" Keeper said "Near the end of our empire, a group emerged that fought with the Empire's leadership. They believed that our continuted use of Dark Force energies would lead to our downfall. They called themselves Rakatti"

"What happened?" Celeste asked

"They were found to be living on Korriban. Given no mercy as the traitors they were, their group was executed and all their material confiscated. Blueprints were found for the device you described. But no evidence was found that it ever existed. It was therefore, never created" Keeper said

"What was it's purpose?" Celeste asked

"To harvest Dark Force energy from the galaxy. Prevent it from being used anywhere" Keeper replied

"What would happen if it did exist and someone came into contact with it" Celeste asked

"It does not exist" Keeper insisted

"But if it did"

"It does not"

"HUMOR ME. If it, hypothetically, did exist and someone touched it, what would happen?" Celeste asked

"If would activate"

"If the activation sequence was prevented from happening?"

"The user would become keyed to the device. Linked to the user, the device would be trigged into a tertiary mode, drawing more energy than in passive mode, but significantly less than in active mode"

"And if full activation happens, then what?"

"The world it is on would become a star fueled by Dark Side energy. No user of Dark Force energy would be possible. It should be noted that this is speculation based on design schematics captured from the Rakatti" Keeper said

"So if it does exist, and it is activated, the Sith would become extinct?" Celeste asked

"Correct. They would be unable to draw strength from the Dark side of the Force" Keeper replied

"This is good news" Celeste said, standing up

"Where are you going?" Keeper asked

"Back to the surface. I have a date with destiny to keep" Celeste said, clenching her fist.

xxxx xxxx

Climbing out the hole, Celeste was surprised to see Cade, Faei and Corde standing there

"Why do you all look like that? I haven't been gone that long"

"Cel, you've been gone two days" Faei said

"WHAT?" Celeste exclaimed "That's impossible!"

"It's true" Corde said "Anytime we tried to find a way in, a hologram told us to stay out"

"Faei, how is the ship?" Celeste asked, quickly changing the subject

"Ready to go" Faei replied

"Good. Let's set course for Tatooine. I want to speak to the council again" Celeste said

"Why?" Cade asked. Celeste didn't answer as she ran back towards the _Legacy_.

xxxx xxxx

"Course laid in for Tatooine" Faei said

"Engaging hyperdrive" Celeste replied, pulling back on the throttle.

Nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Celeste reacted as she tried again. Still nothing. "Faei?"

"Don't look at me!" Faei protested "The computer says the hyperdrive is working completely!"

"Well it's not!" Celeste said. Faei jumped up and began to walk into the ship. Everyone followed her.

Opening a panel, Faei slid in and began examining wires

"Everything is fine!" she said "Power is getting to the engine and it says controls are responsive!"

"Faei" Celeste said

"What do you want me to say, Cel?" Faei said "I have no explanation"

"Could we be in a gravity well?" Corde suggested

"No. We'd get a sensor alert if it was that" Faei replied as she pulled herself out of the pit

"What can it be?" Celeste asked

"I have no idea. If we do a shut down and restart the ship, that might fix things" Faei said. Before Celeste could object, a spark flew across the open pit and the ship began to accelerate.

Celeste ran to the cockpit. Looking out the viewport she saw the tunnel that was hyperspace.

She sat down began to try and bring the ship under control

"Is it fixed?" Faei asked as she entered the cockpit

"I don't know. It autojumped. I can't find out where we're going" Celeste said just as all the console controls went dark "And something doesn't want me stopping it"

Sliding back in the pit, Faei quickly poked her head back out

"Well, I found what happened. The console short out was caused by a bit of excessive moisture on power lines. The hyperdrive I'm still working on" she said

"That's something at least" Celeste said

"Hellooo" Faei said "I have somewhat of a heading for us" Faei shouted up

"What is it?" Cade asked

"The Deep Core" Faei replied "Don't ask me where because that's about as accurate as I can be. Could be into or could be right through"

"Better than nothing" Corde said "Can you stop the ship?"

"No. The controls have locked from the surge. Only way to stop the ship is to do a core shutdown. But at this speed, the relative effects would pretty much destroy us" Faei replied

"Any other options?" Celeste asked

"None, Cel. But I'll see if I can come up with one" Faei said

"Thanks" Celeste said, slouching on the floor outside her cabin

"You alright? Corde asked

"Just tired. Been a long while since I've had a good, long sleep" Celeste replied

"Cel" Faei said, popping up out of the pit "Go sleep. We're fine for now. I'll bug you myself if anything happens"

"Sounds good to me" Celeste said, standing up "I'll be in my bunk. Wake me in eight hours, kay?"

"Sure" Faei nodded as Celeste walked into her room.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Cade asked, kneeling down beside the pit

"You guys are gonna do whatever you want. I'd like it if one of you was in the cockpit though. I, on the other hand, am about to get my fur very dirty as I crawl around in here to see if I can't find some way to fix all this" Faei replied

"So what do you think about all this?" Corde asked as she and Cade sat in the cockpit

"Still confused. Everything is happening faster than I'm used to and differently than I'm used to" Cade replied

"You mean not having your crew around?" Corde inquired

"Exactly" Cade said

"You're not happy about seeing her hold that lightsaber, are you?" she inquired

"Not at all. It's unsettling" Cade replied

"And what about the part of her being Talon's daughter?" Corde asked

"That's just plain disturbing. I know we shared a night, but I stabbed her in the torso when I made my escape from the temple" Cade insisted

"Apparently you missed" Corde said

"Apparently" Cade agreed "How's Gunn?"

"Good. Taking to her new rank well" Corde replied

"Good for her. She's what, Admiral now?"

"Colonel. But she refuses to take command of a ship. So the Empress gave her the Federation fighter squadrons to look after, which keeps her in the cockpit almost as much as the old days" Corde said "You really do share a lot with her. Celeste, I mean"

"I wouldn't say that" Cade replied

"I would. I've known her for just under a week and I already see much of you in her. She's yours, alright. Try being a father, maybe?"

"You're giving me parenting advice?" Cade snickered

"Yes. I'm a mother twice over, remember. I'm not perfect, but I try" Corde said with a sneer

xxxx xxxx

"Shouldn't we wake Celeste?" Cade asked "It's been eight hours after all"

"She only fell asleep a couple hours ago" Faei replied with a smirk

"How do you know that?" Corde asked

"I've known Cel for six years. On these long trips, she sits in her cabin meditating for several hours, then lays on her bed and then falls asleep. We're fine for now anyway" Faei replied "I've checked the core and we can't do anything aside from restarting it"

"How is that fine?" Cade inquired

"It's fine because we're alive. If whatever this is was going to kill us, we'd be dead already. Rememeber, we are in the Unknown Regions right now" Faei reminded them

"So you think we are being taken somewhere?" Corde asked

"Yes. That's all I've got. Something is interrupting controls to the hyperdrive core. But it's so far into the system that they ONLY way I can get at it is to fix it from the outside. And I'm not doing that in hyperspace" Faei insisted

"Of course not. So we just wait until whatever this is, takes us whereever it's taking us?" Corde asked

"Essentially. The only affected system seems to be the hyperdrive. Sublight, weapons, shields, life support, heck, even the exterior lights and silent running system Cel had installed is functional. It's either a precision hack on our systems like I've never seem or a coincidence and lucky malfunction of epic preportions"

"I don't believe in coincidence" Corde said with clenched teeth

"Me either" Faei said "But we're stuck like this"

xxxx xxxx

Celeste awoke and sat up on her bed, slightly woozy. Taking a moment to compose herself, she stood up, changed her shirt and looked at the chrono beside her bed. It read oh three hundred.

"Dammit, Faei" she sighed quietly and walked out.

"Status update" she said as she sat down in the cockpit

"We're still locked out of the hyperdrive" Faei replied

"Can't slow down?" Celeste asked

"Cel, the only way to even check what might be wrong is to do an EVA. Unless you want to jettison the core?" Faei suggested

"How's the backup?" Celeste asked

"Class ten. If it were working" Faei replied, sipping her drink "It broke when we had to leave Cato Nemoidia in a hurry, remember?"

"Oh yeah"

"So unless you want this to become a ghost ship, I suggest we just let it fly"

"You're insane"

"I hang out with you. That pretty much confirms that hypothosis. Besides" Faei said, standing up "The Deep Core is so dense that the odds we'll encounter a gravity well are very, very good. Once we stop, I'll go EVA and make repairs. Simple"

"And you accuse me of being reckless" Celeste sighed

"This isn't reckless, this is smart, Cel. Reckless would be an EVA at hyper speed" Faei said. Celeste rolled her eyes.

Before Celeste could reply, a jolt rocked the ship and it began to shake. Celese began keying the console, hoping to gain control

"What's going on here" she asked no one

"Damned if I know. We're in a gravity well. We're being pulled from hyperspace!" Faei replied.

The stars returned to their normal view as a planet appeared directly in front of them

"Am I crazy, or are we gonna crash?" Celeste asked

"You are definetly crazy, but we are also gonna crash" Faei replied

"Great" Celeste sighed


	12. Chapter 12 The Sages

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 12**

**The Sages**

"Keep her steady. All power to engines!" Celeste said

"I'm transferring all I have, but it's not enough. We were being pulled into the planet before we dropped out!" Faei replied "Transferring all power to shields!"

"Engaging retro thrusters" Celeste yelled over the noise.

Flames shot across the viewport as the _Legacy_ continued it's dive into the atmosphere of the unknown world.

As the flames broke, they saw a large mountain ahead of them

"Oh that is not good" Celeste said

"Deploying thrusters to compensate" Faei said

The _Legacy_ shifted to port, just missing the rocks. Celeste swore she saw people standing on the mountain.

"I thought you said main engines were operational?!" Cade said from behind them

"They were. We came out of hyperspace already being pulled in by the gravity well. Deceleration thrusters didn't have a chance to kick in fully" Faei replied

"Engines are at max reverse thrust and we are slowing, but It's not enough!" Celeste said

"Impact in twenty seconds!" Faei said, reading the console display.

"EVERYONE BRACE!" Celeste yelled as the _Legacy_ got closer and closer to the ground.

Impact came as a sudden shock. The _Legacy_ skidded along the ground for what seemed like forever before finally coming to a complete stop.

"You okay?" Faei asked, lifting her head up off the console

"Yeah, I'm fine" Celeste replied. Faei began pressing commands into the console

"Basic analysis says the ship is mostly intact. A few hull breaches. No damage to main engines. Secondary systems online" Faei reported "Exterior sensors are barely working, but the planet is habitable. Oxygen-Nitrogen atmosphere. Gravity is standard"

"That's something at least. We need to get her up on her struts" Celeste said, pressing buttons "They're jammed" she sighed

"That's not surprise" Faei said "I'll go take a look" she walked out of the cockpit.

Celeste moved to attend to Cade and Corde

"You guys alright?" she asked

"I've had worse landings" Cade replied, sitting up against the bulkhead

"I'm fine" Corde replied "We still in one piece?"

"Looks that way. But she's damaged" Celeste said "If we can get her fixed, we might be able to make it off of this rock"

"That's good" Cade said

"I'm going to check on Faei" Celeste said

"How's it look?" she asked, looking down into the maintenence pit

"Well" Faei replied "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Bad" Celeste said

"The bad news is that the engine power lines are shot, the shields are gone and we have no access to the core controls, the main reactor is damaged and the landing struts are locked. Oh and over half of the repulsor drives are inop" Faei said

"The good news?"

"We're alive"

"Very funny, Faei"

"Life support, artificial gravity and backup power are all functional. The engines are working, but just have no power getting to them. If the struts could be unlocked, we could get her up off the ground enough for me to do repairs on the underside" Faei said, popping her head up

"How can we do that?" Celeste asked

"No clue. With some time I might be able to fix some of the minor system damage. Oh and the ventral turret is gone, so my readouts tell me" Faei replied

"That's no surprise" Celeste said

"Celeste, you should get up here!" Corde called out. Celeste ran to the cockpit. Faei jumped out and followed

"We have visitors" Corde said.

Several cloaked figures were making their way towards the crash. Several large animals walked with them

"It just keeps getting better" Celeste sneered and turned around "Corde, the dorsal turret is still online, how's your aim?"

"Excellent" Corde replied and ran out of the cockpit

"Cade, Faei, you're with me" Celeste said, grabbing a rifle from the cockpit locker.

Opening the starboard airlock, Celeste jumped out, landed on the ground and quickly held her rifle high. Faei and Cade followed.

The figures stood just beyond the crash site. Wearing a hood to conceal their faces, one of the figures began to move forward. Celeste kept her eyes lined down the sights of her rifle

"Who are you?" She asked

"Hello Celeste. We have been waiting for you" The figure said.

"Excuse me?" Celeste said back

"We have anticipated your arrival. You have been expected for many cycles" it said

"Expected? Who are you?" Celeste asked, keeping her rifle high

"We are no threat. Your weapons are not needed. We have waited for you to come here. We are here to help you" the figure said

"You didn't answer my question" Celeste said.

"We have existed here for over twenty three thousand years. We are the Order of the Je'daii Sages"

"Jedi sages?" Celeste said with curiousity "Never heard of you"

"That is how we want it. We have existed here, on Tython, since before the beginning of the Jedi order. I am Grand Sage Arei" the figure said, removing her hood

"I've heard of Tython" Cade said "It's where the Jedi order was born, wasn't it?"

"Correct. But before that order was born, we already existed in secret" Arei said "Our purpose was put forth by the first Grand Master Sage. Master Oy'di"

"What is your purpose?" Celeste asked

"That will become clear in time. For now, we are here to assist you" Arei said as the other figures stepped forward. Celeste instictively raised her weapon before Cade put his hand on the barrel, getting her lower it. He also looked back at the _Legacy_ and waved his hand at Corde, signalling her to stand down. She nodded.

Ten figures stepped forward, raising their arms Celeste turned to see the _Legacy_ lifting off the ground. The landing gear locked down and the ship was settled back down to the ground.

Faei ran towards it and began to inspect the underside.

"That was incredible!" Celeste remarked, turning back to Arei

"That was a demonstration" Arei replied "Our Force abilities are far beyond merely lifting a ship off of the ground"

"CELESTE!" Faei ran back to her, holding a chunk of durasteel "You are never going to believe this"

"Believe what?"

"We were struck by debris when we left Lehon, right?"

"Right..."

"One piece got lodged in the hull, crossing some wires. That activated the hyperdrive and brought us here" Faei said excitedly

"Are you serious? Some random debris did this?" Corde asked

"Yes. It's astounding. It crossed the A-Sis to B-Three wires, merging with the G-Eight. That activated the drive and cut primary console control, tripping the backup beacon controls, which..."

"Activates the homing beacon and takes the ship back to Iego" Celeste said, putting a hand on her face "That's incredible"

"No, the new galley set on the _Legacy_ is incredible. This is beyond amazing. If this debris had gone another few centimeters in and tripped the D-Seven, the core would have overloaded and we would have been space dust. The astronomical chances of this is mind boggling" Faei said "Not to mention that Iego is almost a straight shot through the core from Lehon!"

"It was the will of the Force. Nothing happens by accident" Arei said

"Call if what you want, sister, but I call it damn good luck" Faei said

"Celeste, would you mind coming with us. I am sure you have many questions" Arei said

"Uh, sure?"

"Cel, I could use a hand" Faei said

"Four of our Knights will stay to offer assistance and to offer protection from the storms" Arei said

"Storms?" Celeste inquired

"Tython is a world so immensed in the Force that it conjures great storms that have the power to level mountains and rip forests from their very roots. We train all our Knights to be able to protect themselves from these storms. Several working together can protect an area" Arei replied "But your companions must stay anyway. Only those bathed in the Force are able and permitted to enter our sanctuary"

"Then I'll stay and help out" Corde said

"Very well. This way, Celeste" Arei guided. Cade walked in behind Celeste.

"You still didn't tell me how you knew my name" Celeste said

"My apologies" Arei said "We of the order are proficient in the Force enough that most often, verbal communication is inefficient. We prefer to reply on sensing thoughts and reading minds to communicate. I glanced your mind when you arrived. It was not my intention"

"Oh. Well that settles it. Did you see anything else?" Celeste asked

"Yes. Your concious thoughts and emotions. Nothing more" Arei replied

xxxx xxx

A decent walk later, Celeste found herself looking upon a mountainside

"This way" Arei said

"Uhh, where?" Celeste asked. Arei waved her arm and part of the mountain disappeared. Celeste stepped back

"Holograms?" she asked

"Yes" Arei replied "Combined with Force abilities. Tython is a world stronger in the Force than any other. We draw on it more easily"

"That's interesting" Celeste said

"I do feel stronger here" Cade said as the trio walked inside

"I don't feel any different" Celeste said, looking around. The walls were dimly lit, pillars with ornate tapestries placed out from the wall were spaced evenly apart. Small fires burned in front of each pillar.

"This is incredible!" Celeste said as the entrance cavern ended and they entered a smaller tunnel that headed down into the planet

"Almost three thousand years ago, this planet was abandoned by the Jedi Order. We were able to come out of hiding deep within the surface and over the course of many years, we built our great temple underground" Arei said as she walked in front of Cade and Celeste "The hyperlanes to Tython destablized and we were left alone. The Sith came almost two thousand years later. The Jedi followed and we hid ourselves once more. Using a combination of holographic trickery and Force illusions we were able to remain undetected. Those who came luckly did not come near us. One of the reasons our ancestors chose this mountain for the temple is because it is isolated. This is an island and there is nothing else around us save for some old forests" Arei continued "The Jedi set up an academy on the near Kaleth, but they abandoned it within a century, leaving Tython alone once again" she finished as the trio exited the tunnel, walking into a more open area

"So you were unable build your temple before the Jedi first left?" Cade asked

"There were always beings around. Our order is devoted to a strict code of secrecy" Arei replied "Master Oy'di himself instructed that we never have any contact with any beings who set foot on Tython save for the one we are instructed to serve"

"So why do you have those?" Cade asked, pointing at several landing pads suspended over pools of water

"About five hundred years ago, some of the elders decided that following in Master's Oydi's words still permitted us to engage with the rest of the galaxy in a very limited fashion. We sent scouts into the galaxy to observe how the galaxy functions, bring back supplies and new technology for us to incorperate into our records. We maintain a library with the recorded history of the galaxy going back thirty thousand years" Arei said, looking at the ships

"So you've known about everything that has been going on?!" Cade asked with anger in his voice

"Yes. We have watched the galaxy since long before any of us were born" Arei said

"Then you could have helped! Sheltered the Jedi when they massacred!" Cade yelled

"No" Arei replied "Master Oy'di's instructions did not permit that"

"You let them die!" Cade accused, drawing his blade. Arei waved her hand, sending Cade to the ground

"We follow the code and instructions laid down by Master Oy'di very carefully. Though even if we were permitted to help, we could not have. When news reaches us, it is already weeks, sometimes months old" Arei said, standing over Cade "The Jedi purges were regretable, but we were unable to do anything. Including saving your father" Arei said as they re-entered a tunnel

"You don't have HoloNet here?" Celeste asked

"No. That would alert the galaxy to our existance" Arei replied as Celeste helped Cade up "Our scouts go out, gather information within their timeframe and then travel back to update our archives"

The tunnel they were in came to an end and Celeste's jaw dropped.

The tunnel gave way to a large cavern. Celeste's best guess was that it could have fit Mos Eisley inside and was tall enough it could have fit the tallest spire from the palace on Tatooine almost twice over. A small city with a large building that went front ground to ceiling in the center sprawled the inside.

"This is beautiful!" Celeste remarked "How many people live here?"

"Over two thousand beings and dozens of different species occupy our order. They are all sheltered here where they devot themselves to the purpose of our order" Arei said as a group of older beings walked up to them

"And what is your purpose?" Celeste asked again

"To serve the Force" one of the elders said "But more specifcially, to be guides to the living embodiment of the Force"

"The living embodiment of the Force? You mean a person?" Celeste asked

"Yes" Arei said

"Who?" Cade asked, standing with his lightsaber in hand

"You, Celeste" another elder said as everyone in the area bowed down, leaving Cade and Celeste with confused looks on their faces.

"Woah woah woah, I am not some living embodiment of the Force. I'm just a freighter captain. A month ago I had no idea what my lineage was!" Celeste protested. One of the elders rose

"You have not been trained as a Jedi? Not trained in the Force?" he asked

"I've trained myself to not use my Force abilities" Celeste said. the elders looked at each other

"This is most confusing" he said

"It is" another said "We always assumed the one we waited for would be a fully fledged Jedi"

"Sorry, I guess you were wrong" Celeste shrugged

"No, I think we were right. You arrived on the right day in the right year on a ship that burned the sky" one of the elders stepped forward "I am Master Kethra" he said. Celeste extended a hand out.

"Nice to meet you" she said

"We are honored to have you here" he replied back, shaking her hand

"Uhh, thanks?" Celeste

"Please, this way" he said said, stepping to the side. Celeste began to walk forward

xxxx

Stepping into the building, Celeste looked up and marvelled at the way it was built

"This is beautiful" she said

"This building was hewn from the rock more than ten generations ago" Kethra said

"It's gorgeous" Celeste said

"Thank you" he replied "This way"

Walking into the central chamber, Cade stood beside the door as Celeste moved to the centre saw the other elders that had approached her before all seated. Arei approached her.

"Welcome, Celeste" Arei said "Please, relax yourself. You are not here to be judged"

"Then why am I here?" Celeste asked

"Celeste" Arei said, taking her seat "We are the council of Sages. Do you know of the three pillars of the Je'daii order?"

"No" Celeste replied

"Strength. Knowledge. Wisdom. These are the three pillars of the order. They represent the most important parts of a Force user" Arei said "On this council, sits two representatives of each pillar. Masters Kethra and Cela represent Wisdom. Masters Erica and Heldaz represent Knowledge. Masters Ascil and De'flah represent Strength. I am, as I said before, am the Grand Sage"

"I still don't know what this is all about" Celeste said, shifting her posture

"How were you born?" Master Erica, a Human female asked

"What do you mean?" Celeste asked

"How were you conceived? And brought into the world?" Erica asked

"In the Sith temple and in a Sith fortress" Celeste replied

"You were born Sith?" Erica asked

"Yes"

"But you are not Sith?" Heldaz, a Togruta asked

"No"

"Why not?" Heldaz asked

"I was taken from my mother when I was young" Celeste replied

"Abducted?" Arei asked

"No. An accident seperated us" Celeste said

"And you found your own way?" Heldaz said

"Eventually" Celeste replied "What does this have to do with anything?"

"What do you know of the legend of the chosen one?" Arei asked

"Nothing beyond what the Jedi council has told me" Celeste replied

"What have they told you?" Arei asked

"That the Chosen One is from an ancient prophecy about a person that will destroy the Sith and bring the Force into balance" Celeste replied

"That is a very basic interpretation" Heldaz said "Would you like to hear the prophecy in it's entirety?" he asked

"Yes. I would" Celeste replied

"Very Well" Arei said. She pressed a button on her chair and a holo image of a plaque appeared

"Born from darkness and taken from life, a child will make it's way to the stars. With power unmatched by any, the child will end the chaos and bring harmonious balance to the galaxy" Arei said, reading the plaque. The holo-image disappeared "Now Celeste, does that describe your life?"

"More or less, I guess" Celeste shrugged "Though I wasn't a child when I took command of the _Star's Legacy_"

"But it is representative of your life?" Master Cela asked

"Yes, it is" Celeste replied

"Then it fits" Master Kethra said

"She did arrive at the right time" Heldaz said

"But is she the right age?" Master Erica asked, looking at Celeste

"Master Oy'di did not specify that the person would be a certain age" Arei said. Celeste was about to reply when her wrist computer beeped

"Go ahead" she said, stepping closer to the door as the council continuted to look speak among itself

"Cel, it's Faei. I went over a complete diagnostic of the _Legacy_" Faei said

"How bad is it?" Celeste asked

"Worse than I thought. Emergency power is holding steady and the solar panels are keeping her charged, but the main power couplings are fried and the navigation array is heavily damaged. We can't lift her off the ground for long with only the emergency couplings. On top of that the hyperdrive motivator is fused, which wouldn't be an issue..." Faei reported

"...If the main power coupling was functional" Celeste sighed

"Celeste, I could not help but over hear" Arei said "We have some materials you might be able to use. There is a crashed ship nearby"

"That could be useful" Celeste said

"I will send Knights to guide them" Arei said

"Faei, help is on the way" Celeste said

"Got that. Thanks" Faei said and signed off. Celeste looked out the window of the council chamber and saw a large ring in a walled off section of the city.

"What is that?" she asked

"That is the Knights trial arena. Any Knight wishing to become a master must pass it's test" Arei said

"What is it's test?" Celeste asked

"A trial testing skill and wisdom. Combat skill and ability to solve a large puzzle" Arei replied

"For what?" Celeste asked

"The first of the team of five Knights to reach the center without losing their sabers, gets to face Master Kefrah for the title of Master. A team of five Knights enter with the blessing of the council. Master Kefrah has fifty warriors under his command. To defeat an enemy, you must make them drop their saber and find your way to the Master before anyone else. If you drop your saber, then you lose" Arei said

"When does it happen next?" Celeste asked

"Tommorrow. Why?" Arei asked. Celeste clenched her fist.

"Because I want in" Celeste said with a grin


	13. Chapter 13 The Test

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 13**

**The Test**

"So where are is this place?" Faei asked one of the Knights

"Nearby. The crash site has not been visited in many years" The Knight replied as they stepped into a clearing. A spire extended above the ground with a bent cannon on top. A long body extended back into the bush with large engines visible on the side. It was almost entirely overgrown with plants

"Woah" Faei reacted "That's a Hammerhead!" I've heard of these!"

"It crashed here over fifteen hundred years ago" the Knight said

"That's incredible!" Faei said, running up to it. The Knight moved his hand and the airlock doors opened.

The interior was a mess. Debris and dust everywhere. Pulling a light out of her bag, Faei clipped it to her shoulder pad and activated it. The light pierced the darkness and illuminated the corridor

"Which way to the engine room?" Faei asked

"This way" the Knight replied, pointing down a corridor

xxxx xxxx

"Celeste, you understand how this works?" Arei asked

"Yes. I fight my way through the district, defending myself from attacks as I work my way towards the center. To count an opponent as defeated, I have to knock the the saber from their possesion" Celeste replied, tightening her gloves

"Correct, but you also must stay at street level. Any rising above the buildings will disqualify you" Arei instructed

"Sounds fair" Celeste said, adjusting her tank top straps.

Wearing cargo pants with a tank top, she had her mother's lightsaber clipped on her belt, some dust in her hair and a grin on her face.

"Are you ready?" Arei asked and handed her a earpiece commlink

"Yes" Celeste replied, inserting the commlink

"Then begin" Arei said. Celeste ran past the gate and into the neighborhood.

She ran down the street, pushing herself to run faster. Alleys went by, one by one. Empty buildings sprawled along as she turned a corner. A hum from behind her made her turn around and activate the lightsaber just in time to meet the attack of a Knight.

She blocked and defended, taking parry after parry. She swung to meet every attack, letting herself be pushed back as she studied his attacks, his movements. The hum of the crimson red blade and the sound the blades made as they clashed added to her adrenaline rush

The moment came where she put her years of sword training to use, dodging an attack and countering with a heavy strike, which forced him back. He jumped at her, but she slipped under and caught his feet with her elbow, forcing him to crash to the ground.

He smacked down with a thud, his lightsaber fallen to the ground away from him. Celeste picked it up and clipped it on the back of her belt so it was parallel with her belt. Dusting her legs off, she ran.

A lone figure sat cross legged in her path. As she approached, he stood up, taking a very solid stance. Celeste approached with caution, crouching slightly.

When she got close, he raised his head. His hands still behind his back. Celeste moved to his side, only to be knocked down from behind, but her lightsaber remaining firmly in her grip.

She lept up to find another Knight. Both had their lightsabers drawn. She took her fighting stance as one of them charged her. She danced to the side and stuck her foot out to trip him. He fell to the ground, his lightsaber leaving his hand and landing in the dirt.

The other Knight had not moved. Celeste decided to go for it, jumping over his head. As she did, he activated his blade and took a swipe at her. She managed to dodge, but only just.

Landing on the ground, she triggered her own blade, just in time to meet his attack. He glanced to the side and came back at her. She held up her blade, defending against his attacks.

Fed up, she began a series of offensive strikes. Drawing upon her years of training with a vibrosword, she attacked with ferocity and skill, despite her lacking in lightsaber experience.

Ducking, she avoided a high slash and swiped her foot, knocking him to the ground. But his lightsaber stayed in hand and he was soon back up. Celeste smirked and launched another attack.

The brute force she applied knocking him back into a wall forced his lightsaber to fall as he lost conciousness. She deactivated her blade and checked to make sure he was still alive.

Feeling a pulse, she stood up and ran off.

xxxx

Rounding a few corners she came upon a gateway

"You have made it to the final test" the commlink said "Enter at your own discretion"

With a deep breath, Celeste stepped forward. The first thing she noticed was a man meditating at the center of the arena. A sudden feeling made her look up.

Dozens of beings were sitting on rooftops surrounding the arena, watching as she walked to the center.

"Are you Kefrah?" she asked. He did not reply. "Are you Master Kefrah?" she asked again

"I am" he said "And you are disturbing me"

"I was told that if I reached here, I could challenge you" Celeste said

"And you may. The question is whether or not I will accept" he said with his eyes closed

"Why wouldn't you?" Celeste asked, sitting down in front of him

"I have the final say on competitors in my arena" he said

"So you turn down those that you believe are not ready?" Celeste asked

"Very perceptive of you, young one. Indeed I do" he replied

"What about me?" she asked

"I have not yet made up my mind" he replied

"Well then" Celeste said, crossing her legs and closing her eyes.

How long they sat there, Celeste couldn't tell. All she knew was that the second a feeling told her to get up, she did. Just in time to avoid a lightsaber strike

"You do well to listen to the Force. But it is not your ally, you do not call upon it for balance" Kefrah said

"I've spent fifteen years trying to supress it" Celeste said, with her own lightsaber out, but not activated

"Yet it flows in your more powerful than in some of the council Masters. Arei tells me you are the one we have waited for. I see that you have power, but I am still not convinced" he said "Defend yourself!"

Celeste activated her blade and moved to a defensive posture as Kefrah swiped at her. She dodged, parried and blocked as best she could.

He soon backed off and she too the offensive, attacking with sweeping cuts and slashes. Every one he managed to dodge or parry away.

"You have strength, but you lack skill with a blade such as this" he said. Delivering a series of small slashes, he managed to break away her defenses. A couple of well placed physical attacks forced her to the ground. She tried to get up, but he Force pushed her away.

She rolled across the dusty arena, Talon's lightsaber rolling away from her.

"It is done. Feel free to try again next time" he said, deactivating his lightsaber.

With a groan, Celeste pushed herself up

"It's...It's not over yet" she strained

"I have removed your lightsaber from your possesion, you are defeated" he insisted

"No...Not yet" Celeste replied, pulling herself to her feet. Her body was covered in dirt, scrapes and bruises.

"You have no lightsaber. The match is over. To fight you would go against my own rules" he said, sitting back down on his platform and stroking his long beard.

"Wrong" Celeste said, reaching behind her back. She unclipped the lightsaber she had taken from the first Knight. She activated it and the blade shimmered to life with a bright silver glow

"You stole that weapon!" he said

"Aquired. No one ever said that was against the rules" she grinned and lunged.

He managed to activate his blade in time to stop her attack. Pushing her back, he managed to get to his feet and block another attack.

"I won't go down so easily this time" she said

"If believing that helps you, then I suggest you keep believing" he said lunging "But reality is quite different"

She closed her eyes, deactivated her blade and remembered the tricks she practiced with her custom Vibrosword back on Iego. Side stepping, she dodged his attack. Extending a foot at the same time, she caught his ankle with her own just as her elbow made contact with his back, her lightsaber reactivating at the same time. A forceful thrust sent him sprawling to the ground, his lightsaber rolling around in the dirt.

She calmly opened her eyes and looked down at the fallen Master, deactivating the blade at the same time.

Helping him to stand up, she saw admiration in his eyes. Dusting himself off, he looked right at her

"I must admit, I am impressed. No one has ever used such a move to any kind of success that I have seen. Do you know what you did?"

"It was a move that I tinkered with back when I was practice fighting beasts back on Iego when I was a kid" Celeste replied

"It is called Tràkata. It is an ancient Jedi lightsaber combat technique. You are sure you had no knowledge of it?" Kefrah asked

"First I've heard of it. But using a vibrosword is different than a lightsaber. But twisting it in my hand became easy. I took down a lot of beasts using it" Celeste replied

"Celeste, you inavertently used a technique that not only takes years of training to gain any skill at, you learned it without being exposed to teachings of the Jedi or instruction" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I have no doubts that you are the one our order has waited for. Come with me" he said.

xxxx xxxx

In Kefrah's room in the center building, he opened a small box and handed her a crystal

"What is it?" she asked, looking over it in her own hand

"The shadow crystal" he replied "It has been passed down through the generations. I believe it belongs in your hands. It is a lightsaber crystal that bonds with the user. The blade it generates is one of a kind. In the right hands, it can be used to great extent and for great purpose. The only catch is that the user must build a lightsaber custom for it" he said, handing her a datachip "This contains instructions to build your own lightsaber"

"Thank you" she said, bowing slightly.

"Remember, a lightsaber is a personal weapon, it must be constructed in a way that makes it unique to you" he said

xxxx xxxx

"Master Kefrah has expressed a great amount of respect for your abilities. That is no small comment, believe me" Arei said. Celeste grinned. "What do you intend to do now?" Arei continued "We have quarters prepared for you once your ship leaves"

"I can't stay. I have to speak with the Jedi council again" Celeste said "I have information that they need to hear. Information that could help destroy the Sith!"

"What kind of information?" Heldaz asked

"You know of the Rakata?" Celeste asked

"Yes" Arei replied

"Apparently there was a group of them that, near the end of their civilization, forsaw the end of their race due to their dependance on Dark Side technology. They apparently created a device that absorbed Dark Side energy. I believe I encountered this device when I was on Korriban as a child. If it works they way I've been told, it would sap the Sith of their power and allow us to purge them from the galaxy" Celeste retold the story "The council needs to hear this so we can mount an offensive"

"We understand why you need to leave then" Arei said "You are always welcome here though"

"Thank you, Master" Celeste replied "You know, the Order has been reduced to less than one hundred. They could use an influx of new warriors for this. You could help"

"You make an interesting point" Arei replied "But we are bound to our secrecy"

"Are we?" Master De'flah asked "We have fufilled the tenets of the Order laid down by Master Oy'di and waited for her to arrive. Our task is complete. We could join the rest of the galaxy and it sounds like they could use us"

"That is a good point" Erica said

"Hmm. We must meditate on this" Arei said

"You do that" Celeste said "Meantime, I'm going to do what I can"

"Very well" Arei said, standing up "If you need to contact us, we maintain a small safehouse on Naboo. Here are the details" she said, handing Celeste a datachip and another holo device

"Sounds good" Celeste said "What is this?"

"History of the galaxy. As complete a record as we could fit into the memory" Arei replied "Our gift to you. But we must ask that, at least for now, you do not reveal our existence to the galaxy at large" Arei asked

"I won't say a word" Celeste promised as she walked out.

Cade joined her as she walked outside the central tower

"Those were some nice moves" he said

"Thanks" Celeste said

"No, those were some really nice moves. You used the Force to keep your balance several times" he said "I felt it"

"I didn't use the Force" Celeste said "I just used what I knew and used the skills I've honed with a sword over the years. I didn't use any Force abilities"

"You did. Your energy was immense. Those skills you've honed, they are Force based, I'd bet" he said

"I didn't use the Force in them..." Celeste insisted as they walked down the path back to the tunnels.

xxxx xxxx

Celeste, Cade and Faei all arrived back at the _Legacy_ at the same time

"Did you get anything good?" Celeste asked

"Plenty" Faei said, pointing over her shoulder. Two Knights were using the Force to hold up a large piece of hull plating

"FAEI!" Celeste reacted

"What? They said they were here to help us!" Faei protested "Besides, I found a lot of goodies. Some of that Old Republic tech was built to last!"

"Like what?" Celeste sighed

"Some power converters and they even had some rare ores in their cargo bay" Faei replied

"That's it?" Celeste asked

"Some old lightsabers, a large amount of parts for the hyperdrive and some stuff that is antique and priceless these days. Not to mention their datatapes and some old blasters. I can spend years tinkering with this stuff" Faei said with a grin

"Did you say lightsabers?" Cade asked

"Yeah, three or four of them. I think there were Jedi on board, but that thing was so old, that there aren't any bodies" Faei replied, opening her bag and handing them to Celeste.

"How long to get the ship fixed?" Celeste asked

"Few hours" Faei replied "Give or take"

"Okay. I'm going to relax" Celeste said, sitting on the grass.


	14. Chapter 14 Return

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 14**

**Return**

"So where exactly are we?" Celeste asked, looking over Faei's shoulder

"Navicomputer puts us in the mid rim" Faei replied

"Drop us out of hyperspace" Celeste said

"Why?" Faei asked

"I have to purge the navicomputer" Celeste replied "I made a promise to not reveal Tython. I plan to keep it"

"Fair enough" Faei replied, throttling back on the controls

"How long will this take?" Cade asked as Celeste left the cockpit

"Not long. Not the first time I've had to purge co-ordinates from the computer" Celeste replied, walking towards the engine room.

xxxx

"That should do it" Celeste said. As she walked out, the calender on the wall caught her eye. Her heart sank. "Already?"

Walking back in to the cockpit, she stood behind Faei

"Set course for Nar Shaddaa, Faei" Celeste spoke softly

"Nar Shaddaa? I thought we were headed to Tatooine?" Faei asked

"We are. But we have to make a detour first. Nar Shaddaa, please" Celeste asked, clearly trying to restrain her emotions

"Why?" Faei asked "What's up?"

"Have you looked at the calender?" Celeste asked. Faei understood quickly

"Nar Shaddaa it is. Want me to let Arek know we're coming?" Faei asked

"No. No, I'll do it" Celeste said and walked out of the cockpit

"What's with her?" Cade asked

"Don't ask me" Faei replied, punching in the co-ordinates

"You don't know?" Cade inquired

"Didn't say that. Just said don't ask me" Faei replied. Cade walked out of the cockpit.

A knock on Celeste's door caught her attention. She didn't reply. Staring into the holoprojection that a camera mounted on the hull outsider her quarters was transmitting, she just tried to find relaxation in the stars. The knock came again. Celeste still didn't reply.

xxxx xxxx

Only a couple hours before reaching Nar Shaddaa, Celeste opened up her commlinks

"CELESTE! Pateesa. How are you?" Arek asked

"Hello Arek" Celeste replied simply

"Are you okay?" he asked

"I'm okay. Been through a lot lately" she replied

"You'll have to tell me all about it" he said

"I will. We're almost at Nar Shaddaa" Celeste said

"Why are you coming here?" he asked

"It's that time again" she replied

"Ah yes" Arek said "I was just thinking about that. Have you sent Gezta a message?"

"No. Not yet" Celeste said "He's next on my list though"

"So you're coming to pick me up?" Arek asked

"I was actually hoping you'd give me a ride this time" Celeste replied "The _Legacy_ has been through a lot lately and Faei wants her to have some downtime to be fixed up"

"Been having fun, have you?" he chuckled

"Kinda" she replied

"The _Maiden's Mist_ will be ready when you get here. Come by my shop to get me when you arrive. Not on your bike though" he said

"Oh Arek, I know you hate those things" She said

"Yet you subject me to them whenver you get the chance!" he said

"Of course" Celeste let a grin cross her face for a second "We're not far out. I'll see you when we arrive"

"Sounds good" Arek said and cut the transmission

xxxx xxxx

Setting her rented speeder down near Arek's cafe, Celeste heard a scream coming from an alley. She ran towards the sound.

A group of Weequay's were closing in a female and her child, huddled down at the end of the dead end alley

"HEY!" Celeste shouted, her midlength jacket waving in the breeze

"Celeste, is that you?" A Weequay asked, turning around

"Per'tah. I should have known" Celeste said "You know that this neightborhood is under Arek's protection!" she said

"I do" he replied "But I don't care. Arek is old and can't protect an entire neighborhood. His people can't even protect a single person" the Weequay said, gesturing towards the woman

"What do you want with her?" Celeste demanded

"She looked at us. Therefore she is ours" he replied with a devious smile

"No. Leave now and maybe I won't tell Arek about this" Celeste said

"How is the old monster?" Per'tah asked

"Better than you'll be in ten seconds if you don't leave" Celeste said

"Oh Celeste, I liked you. I would hate to ruin such a good working relationship. So tell you what, walk away and I'll let you live, okay?" he said

"No deal" Celeste growled

"Well that's too bad" he said, looking over her shoulder

"Too bad for you" she said, whirling around, pulling out her backup blaster and shooting the Weequay who was sneaking up on her in the face. He fell to the sidewalk.

"THAT WAS MY BROTHER!" Per'tah exclaimed

"Then you shouldn't have gotten him to try and sneak up on me like that. People get hurt all the time in misunderstandings" Celeste smirked

"You're done. Arek's time is over. You'll pay for that" Pet'rah said, backing away. Celeste advanced on him

"You sure about that?" Celeste asked

"You are dead!" he said "Take one more step and I'll..." he never finished. Just started to breath heavily

"You know what I found out recently. What no one else knew?" she whispered softly into his ear "I have a family. You know what my last name is?"

"N...no" he panted,

"Skywalker" she whispered and deactivated her lightsaber. He fell backwards, lifeless on the sidewalk, a smouldering hole in his torso

"Anyone else want to give me a go?" she asked, facing the group with her crimson red lightsaber fully active. They all panicked and ran away, down the street as fast as they could go. Celeste approached the woman, deactivating her lightsaber. The woman was terrified and trying to shield her infant.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you" Celeste said, extending a hand slowly

"Are you a Sith?" the woman asked

"No"

"Jedi?"

"I don't think so" Celeste replied "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" the woman said, cradling her child. Celeste could tell she was scared.

Reaching into her pocket, Celeste pulled out a small stack of credits and put them in the woman's hand

"Here. My advice would be to get off world" Celeste said, standing up

"Thank you" the woman said. Celeste didn't reply.

xxxx

"Celeste, I've been waiting for you!" Arek said

"Sorry, just had to deal with Per'tah" Celeste said

"He causing trouble again?" Arek asked

"Yes. He's dead now" Celeste replied as she sat down on a bar stool

"Dead? How?" he asked

"He tried to attack an innocent person. Said you were old and unable to protect the neighborhood. Then tried to have one of his men attack me" Celeste replied "That guy died of a blaster to the face"

"And Per'tah?"

"Lightsaber to the torso" Celeste replied, obvious pride in her voice

"Lightsaber? Celeste are you using one?"

"Yes" Celeste replied "I've discovered my heritage and I think I can help rid the galaxy of the Sith for good"

"You always were an overachiever" Arek chuckled "So what is your heritage?"

"Jedi. Skywalker" Celeste replied

"Skywalker. As in Cade?" Arek asked

"As in daughter of Cade" Celeste replied

"I see. That would explain a few things" Arek chuckled and looked at the chrono on the wall "We should be going"

"Yes. Of course" Celeste stood up.

xxxx xxxx

"Where is Faei?" Arek asked

"With the _Legacy_. She refused to leave it since she was determined to get it repaired" Celeste replied, flying the speeder

"How bad was the damage?" Arek inquired

"Two crash landings. One water, one solid ground" Celeste replied

"I'm surprised she still flies" he said

"Barely does. We jury rigged half the systems just to get here" she said "There is also something else you should know. I have a couple of companions"

"Who?" he asked

"My father and grandmother" Celeste said

"Cade Skywalker? I thought he was dead"

"Nearly enough"

"Who is your grandmother?"

"Morrigan Corde" Celeste replied

"You're kidding me. Imperial Agent Morrigan Corde?!" Arek reacted

"Yeah, she's my grandmother. You should have seen it. Faei was fawning over her" Celeste chuckled

xxxx xxxx

After the ship got under way, Celeste retreated to her assigned bunk, determined to avoid Cade.

"You enjoyed that" came a voice from behind her as she was changing. She screamed and fell over, covering herself.

The ghostly image of Luke Skywalker appeared before her

"HEY! Mind not floating in on a girl who is changing!" Celeste sneered and tossed her shirt on

"That criminal. You enjoyed killing him" Luke said

"He deserved it!" Celeste defended

"But you enjoyed it" Luke repeated

"So what? A girl can't waste some scum without being critisized?!"

"Jedi are not meant to be killers. Jedi are defenders" Luke said

"First off, I'm not a Jedi. Secondly, I was defending someone, in case you didn't notice!"

"I saw"

"Good. Now did you come here for a reason?"

"You walk a line as your father does. A line that takes you dangerously close to the Dark Side"

"Your point?"

"Every step takes you closer to being seduced by the Dark Side. Becoming one of it's pawns"

"Newsflash, pretty boy. I've crossed that line a few times. You watched Iego, didn't you?"

"Yes. I saw what happened"

"I think that was more of a giant leap rather than a small step over the line and yet here I am. No red skin, no freaky tattoos"

"You can still fall prey. Just be careful"

"Leave me alone. I'm only mixed up in this because of you!" she yelled, tossing a pillow at him. He vanished into thin air. Celeste broke down and curled up as tears rolled down her cheeks.

xxxx xxxx

"Iego air control, this is _Maiden's Mist_. Requesting landing clearance at pad Aurek three" Arek said over the radio

"Copy that. Clearance granted" the tower replied.

Celeste, at the helm, slowly banked her to port, heading down for Iego's main city.

The ship touched down at one of the larger landing pads with a gentle tap.

Celeste, Arek, Cade and Corde all descended the main ramp. A speeder waited for them

"Hello Gezta" Celeste said, giving the driver a hug

"Celeste, it's been too long" he said

"Yes it has. But I just can't come back here too often" she replied

"I can understand that"

"So why are we here?" Cade asked

"For the memorial of the Iego Massacre" Celeste replied


	15. Chapter 15 Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 15**

**Memories**

"It shoudn't be long to the village" Gezta said "I almost thought you weren't going to make it this year"

"I almost didn't" Celeste replied "I was stuck in the Unknown regions. I almost forgot entirely"

"I am glad you are here" he said

"So why are you honoring the Iego massacre?" Cade asked

"Because I was part of it" Celeste said. Cade sat back, eyes wide "WHAT?"

"It was a morning similar to this one" Celeste recounted as the speeder flew through the air "I was up on a ridge practicing with my sword. Not much, just some morning exercises. I saw a shuttle fly through the air, heading towards where the village was. It happened from time to time, so I paid it no mind. Then another ship, a troop transport, came down and headed for the village. I was curious, but, regretably, I didn't think much of it and continued my exercises" Celeste paused for a second before continuing "I received a signal on my commlink minutes later saying I should return. So I packed up my sword and ran down the ridge. When I got to the cliff, I saw the two ships, one on either side of the village. I got there just as the Jedi finished boarding their ship. It took off but a couple Jedi remained, alone against an entire Stormtrooper company and several Sith warriors. I used the tunnel I had spent a couple years carving out to crawl back to my home. It seemed to take longer than I had remembered. When I emerged from the tunnel, I heard the hum of a lightsaber" Celeste tried to choke back tears as the memories came to light "I walked into the common room and saw a Sith standing over my guardian, the man who had rescued me from Korriban. He was dead. The Sith looked at me, grinning with pleasure over what he had just done. He could sense the emotional attachement I had. He moved towards me, so I reacted. Taking out my sword, I attacked" Celeste took a breath

"Are you okay, Celeste?" Gezta asked

"Yes, just still hurts" Celeste replied, putting a hand on her chest

"I am not surprised" Arek said "That kind of pain doesn't go away"

"No, it doesn't. Anyway, that Sith died by my hand. A fully trained Sith killed by a nine year old kid armed with nothing more than a vibrosword. I was on the floor, breathing heavily. The adrenaline from what I had done coursed through me. I had taken a life. In an act of harsh revenge, I had taken the life of a sentient being. I had killed animals before, but only because I had to. This, this was something much darker. All the Sith sensed what had happened and I could feel their strength. As they grew angry, I could feel myself growing stronger. I heard blasterfire as the Stormtroopers razed the village. Blaster in one hand and vibrosword in the other, I stepped outside and faced them all. The two Jedi were dead. One of the Sith lunged at me and I blacked out" Celeste paused

"Obviously, you didn't die" Corde said

"No. I didn't. But part of me wishes I had. When I came back to concious thought, I was standing in the field just outside the village, surrounded by bodies. I looked down, my hands were covered in blood and sweat. My sword was covered and my blaster was covered as well. I looked up. Piles of Stormtrooper armor littered the entire village. The bodies of the Sith warriors lay motionless as well. Then memories came flooding back" Celeste stopped talking as the speeder landed and they all got out

"Why are we stopping?" Cade asked

"We don't fly into the village, out of respect for the memorial. No one flies here" Gezta replied

"Celeste, continue" Corde said

"I saw my hands move. The memories. I saw my blade lance out and kill a stormtrooper. Several of them were using the very few remaining villagers as living shields. That didn't stop me. I killed them all" Celeste shook, looking at her hands "I was so consumed with rage I wasn't going to stop. When I did and everything came back to me. I almost lost my sanity. I lost my mind" she said, falling to the ground. Gezta helped her back up

"Thank you" she said quietly "It's been forever since I had to tell that story"

"Ten years, unless you told anyone else" Arek said

"Just Faei. So that makes it six. Seems like longer" Celeste said as they walked around a rock. The village came into view. Cade gasped at the sight.

Piles of stormtrooper armor lay on the ground. Having not been touched since they fell. A wind blew up, moving dust and sand around. Dwellings wore black marks of blaster shots.

"No one cleaned it up?" Corde asked

"No. Gezta was out picking from a field. When he came back. he saw me and the death that lay around me. I was scared and suffering from a broken mind. I ran and I ran hard" Celeste said

"I felt it my duty to give a funeral to the villagers who died, but I was only ten and not strong enough. So I just left it as is. I planted Celeste's sword at the center of the village with a piece of her torn clothing on it" he said, nodding towards the sword that was dug in the ground.

"I wanted to die that day. I was determined to lose myself in the world" Celeste said "My guardian had taught me about peace and kindness. Helping those who needed it. Those people took me in and I killed them"

"Not all of them" Cade tried to comfort her

"ENOUGH" Celeste yelled "I killed enough to say I did. I found a cave on a cliff and climbed in. I don't know how long I was there. Days, weeks. Then Arek found me and brought me back to his ship"

"I was a coincidence. I was prospecting those mountains on behalf of the Iegan government when we detected a faint lifesign" Arek said

"What government there is" Gezta said "I did manage to convince them to make this site protected. No one comes here anymore"

"Not even the animals" Celeste said, looking at Cade "You can feel it, can't you? The darkness. That chill down your spine"

"Yes" Cade replied

"I can too" Corde said

"That is the abyss. The rage, the hatred I experience. It manifested itself and it still lingers here. That is why the bodies remain. Not even the creatures dare approach this place" Celeste said, kneeling down. Arek and Gezta sat cross legged on either side of her, facing her

"What are you doing?" Cade asked

"The memorial" Celeste replied with her eyes closed.

xxxx xxxx

Long into the afternoon, they sat, perfectly still.

Celeste was the first to stand. She was less shaky and seemed calmer. A small bow towards the village and they began to walk away.

A sense told her to stop. She did. Just as Talon landed in front of the group. Cade ignited his blade and charged her. She used the Force to push him back

"I am not here to fight" she said

"You have a lot of nerve, showing up here!" Celeste yelled, pulling out her own blade, but not activating it

"I am here" Talon said, walking towards the group "To offer you a chance to free yourself"

"What do you mean?" Celeste asked

"You hold so much pain, so much emotion over what happened here. I can help you with that pain" Talon said

"How?" Celeste asked, raising her eyebrow

"Mind wipe. All your memories from the point where you fell into the chasm on Korriban will be erased and new ones will be planted. You will have no memory of any of this" Talon waved her hand around "You can take your rightful place within the Sith"

"All this...gone..." Celeste said to herself quietly, lowering her blade

"I thought you Sith thrived on pain" Cade said

"Physical pain. Emotional pain such as Celeste has experienced is not something we feed on. Despair, regret. Those are not helpful to us" Talon replied "Had you stayed with the Sith longer, you would have learned that"

"Celeste?" Arek asked

"All gone" Celeste said quietly, looking at her hands.

Celeste began to walk towards Talon, her lightsaber back to hanging on her belt.

"What are you doing?" Cade demanded. Celeste didn't say anything. Talon smiled.

Celeste stopped less than a meter from where Talon stood, still looking at her hands, picturing them as they were when she had regained conciousness after the massacre - covered in blood and dirt.

Looking up, she looked right into Talon's eyes.

"You know, as tempting as your offer is, it would take away a part of me that I don't want to lose" Celeste said, hitting talon with a heavy punch.

Talon hit the ground, hard, but was still concious

"You could join us, mother" Celeste said "Please?"

"I...am...Sith" Talon declared as Cade ran up and used the Force to push her away.

"Thanks" Celeste said

"No problem" Cade replied

"Let's get moving" Gezta said

"Not yet" Celeste said, walking back towards the village "I need something first"

"Celeste, you know entering the village is a violation of the memorial" Gezta warned

"I know" Celeste replied, stepping over bodies "I have a feeling that the spirits will understand"

Wrapping her hand around the handle, she pulled her sword from the ground. It's blade shone in the sunlight as she raised it to the sky.

"What do you need that for?" Corde asked

"I built this sword with my own two hands. It was my first great triumph" Celeste replied, cradling the weapon in her hands "I am going to disassemble it, mount the blade on the bulkhead in my quarters and use the handle to build my own lightsaber" she finished

"You need a crystal for that, kid" Cade said

"Got one" Celeste said back as she walked towards the speeder, taking a second to turn and bow slightly towards the village.

xxxx xxxx

"I will see you next year, Gezta" Celeste said, giving him a hug

"Be safe, Celeste" he replied "Maybe fortune guide you"

"You as well, my friend" she said as she walked up the ramp. It closed and locked behind her.

With a sigh, she headed for the bridge.

xxxx xxxx

"So, what'd I miss?" Faei asked as Celeste walked up the _Legacy_'s ramp on Nar Shaddaa

"Just another memorial. Along with an encounter with my mother" Celeste replied

"Well that must have been fun" Faei said

"You bet" Celeste replied as she walked into her quarters.

She was out within a few minutes, wearing completely different attire. More revealing than her usual cargo pants, tank top and jacket. Low cut shirt with a knee length skirt topped off with a light jacket.

"Where are you going?" Faei asked

"Out. I've spent the last month running around the galaxy and haven't had any time for me. I'm spending the evening having some fun"

"Celeste..." Faei sighed

"Look. I'm not taking more than my small knife and a few credits from my personal reserve account. I'll be back in the morning" Celeste said

"Celeste..." Faei sighed again

"You know me. I'm not gonna drink a ton. Just a sip or two. I want to have some fun"

"I just worry about your type of fun" Faei said

"Everyone needs to take time for themselves every now and then, Faei" Celeste said, walking down the ramp and jumping into the waiting taxi.

Faei walked down the ramp to find Cade sitting cross legged near one of the landing struts

"Where is she going?" he asked

"Out to find herself some fun" Faei replied, laying back on the ramp

"What do you mean?" Cade asked

"Celeste, Celeste has always been a bit wild. She's never been a drinker or an addict, but she's always been...promiscuous. It's her way of letting out her stress without sacrificing her control over her Force abilities" Faei replied

"Some way to have fun" Cade said

"I swear she has to be part Zeltron" Faei chuckled

"She's nothing like a Zeltron" Cade said back "I know"

"Yeah, I bet you do" Faei said "Either way, she does this every time we've spent a lot of time on runs, she'll go for some every time we land on a world like this"

"So for as long as you've known her, eh?"

"Yeah. I asked Arek and he said she started using it as a stress outlet when she was in her teens, but it was before she met me, that's for sure"

"How did the two of you meet?" Corde asked, walking down the ramp

"Simple version? She rescued me from slavers" Faei replied "I was kidnapped when I was very young. Taken away from my home, forced to work for a pirate group. The upside is that I got used to hyperspace travel at a very early age, so I was able to control my shapeshifting before I could even shapeshift"

"That's right, you can change your form, can't you?" Corde said

"Yes. Into a predatory cat. Most of my people don't leave the homeworld because they hyperspace makes them change involuntary. Some can control it. I learned early on that if I didn't want to be beaten, I had to control it. So I did" Faei continued "Anyway, so I was kidnapped and all that. I gained new skills, like how to fight and how to fix and worked hard to earn my master's favour, hoping that it would keep me safe. Then one day, Celeste and Arek arrive at the station with cargo. Celeste was only fifteen at the time. She spotted me and I saw her. She asked Arek what I was doing, since I was locked in my cage at that time. Arek replied that I was a slave. Celeste didn't like that. Next thing I know, Arek and most of the other people on the station are running back towards the docking bays, including my master. All I had done and he leaves me there to die" Faei growled "Apparently, Celeste had been angered when she had requested to know why my master kept slaves around, since she deemed it to be wrong. He had replied that it wasn't wrong and she might make a fine addition if she didn't keep her mouth shut"

"Celeste had been angered?" Corde asked

"More than angry, she had lost control" Faei clarified

"Lost control?" Corde asked

"Yes. Celeste, for all her appearances, maintains a great deal of control. You saw the village on Iego I take it and she told you the story?" Faei asked. Corde nodded. Faei continued "Then you know what she is capable of when she loses control. It scares me to the bone. She ended up freeing me and all the other slaves. They all managed to take their own ship. I took a bite out of my former master before I snuck aboard Arek's ship. We all got off just in time to watch the entire station explode. They found me hiding in a cargo container. I told them who I was. Arek offered to return me to Felacat. I said I would like that, but I would also like to stay with them and help out" Faei said, looking up into the sky "When Arek retired he hoped to take me on as a mechanic in a shop he wanted to open, but Celeste recruited me as her co-pilot. Arek was not happy about that. He figured with my talents I could soon make a real name for myself. The offer still stands, apparently, but I have no plans to retire anytime soon" Faei finished

"That's quite a story" Corde said "So why didn't you go back to your family?"

"I did. I spend some time there every year. I'm pretty close with my parents, even though we were seperated for over a decade. But I also wanted to serve with Celeste, and they understand that. Very few of my people ever do anything off world. Those of us that do are generally held up as shining examples even though they do very little" Faei said

"But you do a lot more than that?" Cade asked

"Yeah. My people love me. They see me as an example of what a Felacatian can be when properly motivated. When they find out that I've been helping a Skywalker for years, they'll probably build a statue for me" Faei chuckled "And people wonder why I try to be incognito when I arrive on Felacat"

"I bet. That's a lot of attention for you" Corde said

"It is. I don't hate it, but when you can't walk five feet without someone wanting to shake your hand for being an inspiration for the entire planet, it gets annoying. I've been compared to Queen Prrt more times than I can count!" Faei said with wide eyes, throwing her hands up

"There were other Felacatians in the Republic" Corde said

"Yes. But with very little representation. We had a few diplomats on Coruscant, who basically stayed there. After the fall, my people decided it would be safer to stay on the homeworld. We aren't isolationists, but we didn't want to become a threat to the galaxy because we couldn't control ourselves" Faei said, standing up "On that note, I need to get back to work" she said, walking up the ramp


	16. Chapter 16 Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 16**

**Meetings**

The _Legacy_'s ramp alarm went off. Faei, groggy from having been sleeping, walking out of her quarters and pressed the ramp button. It descended and locked in place. Celeste, her hair messy, clothes wrinkled and not all the way on properly, just stood there with a goofy look on her face.

"So, did you have fun?" Faei asked with a smirk, leaning on the bulkhead

"Oh yeah" Celeste replied, walking up the ramp "It was a good night"

"Well I'm glad. Can we get back to work then?" Faei asked

"Yes. We'll head for Tatooine after I get some food" Celeste replied "Where are Cade and Corde?"

"Passenger cabins" Faei replied "They went out a few hours ago"

"Let 'em sleep. Let's get moving" Celeste said, walking into her cabin.

xxxx xxxx

"So you seem happier" Faie commented after they entered hyperspace

"I am. More relaxed. Though I'm not happy about how tempting my mother's offer was" Celeste admitted

"Yeah, Corde told me all about that. A complete memory wipe? That wouldn't have been good for you" Faei said

"It wouldn't have been good for the galaxy, Faei" Celeste replied "But it was tempting"

"What made you decide against it?" Faei asked

"I don't know. I guess it was just a feeling that I'd be losing who I am" Celeste replied, leaning the chair back "After all, despite the demons I carry, I like me"

"Oh you don't say?" Faei mocked with a chuckle

"Har har" Celeste replied

xxxx xxx

"So how are we going to do this?" Faei asked over the comm as the bikes approached the palace on Tatooine

"Very Carefully. We go in and we talk to the council, no excuses from anyone" Celeste replied. She saw Cade, who was riding with Faei, lean down and press his boot heel.

Up ahead, the door to the palace began to open

"Cool trick" Celeste commented as the bikes entered the palace.

They stopped shortly inside as the door closed behind them. Corde dismounted and Celeste followed quickly.

Dropping her goggles onto the bike handles, she walked down the mail hallway towards the throne room.

"Celeste, we did not expect to see you back here" Master Bruhala said, sitting down on one of the council chairs

"Well I'm back. And no thanks to you lot, trying to hide what was on Lehon from me, I have information you will find interesting" Celeste said

"What kind of information?" K'kruhk asked

"I learned that there was a device, built by a rogue group of Rakata. A device that's primary function is to absord Dark Force energy" Celeste said

"What use is that knowledge to us?" Qua asked "If it existed, it is most likely long destroyed along with the rest of the Rakatan civilzation"

"Because I encountered it on Korriban when I was four. That device you all saw in my vision, that was it. If we could get to it, we could drain the Sith of their power!" Celeste said with enthusiasm

"Celeste, it has most likely been long destroyed" K'kruhk said

"If it survived there for over twenty five thousand years, likely it survived the last seventeen" Celeste said

"The Sith would have found it after you went missing, Celeste" Qua said

"Doubt it" Celeste said

"And why is that?" Bruhala asked

"Because I'm connected to it" Celeste replied "When I touched it, I began to activate it, but the sequence never finished. It also explains why I feel stronger around Sith"

"Explain" Bruhala said

"I absorb their energy. Don't as me how, but I guess that's what I do" Celeste replied. None of the council replied for a few moments

"We will need to meditate on this, Celeste" Qua said

"In the meantime, the Empress would like to be informed" Corde said, stepping forward

"The Empress will be informed when we have made our decision" K'kruhk said

"Why wait?" Celeste asked "Get it over with"

"Only Corde knows where the Empress is and this is a Jedi matter" K'kruhk replied

"No, it's a galactic matter" Celeste said "If we don't do something, the Sith are going to finish conquering the galaxy"

"Patience is a virtue, young one" Bruhala said "We must be sure it is the right course of action before we proceed" the council left the room

"We have to do this. Now that Talon knows I won't take her offer, the Sith WILL be looking for me more ferociously than before" Celeste said, turning to Cade and Corde

"I agree. But they aren't wrong. We need to step back so we don't step over the cliff, so to speak" Cade said

"We should inform the Empress at least" Corde said

"Go. I'll stall the council" Cade said

"Thanks" Celeste replied, she, Corde and Faei, who had been standing by the door ran back to the bikes.

xxxx xxxx

"So where are we going?" Celeste asked as the _Legacy_ left Tatooine's atmosphere

"If you don't mind, I'll pilot this run. I'm under orders to keep the Empress' location top secret. The co-ordinates will be deleted upon arrival" Corde said

"Sure. We'll, uh, be in the lounge" Celeste said, walking out

"It's a short trip" Corde said

"So Corde, where does your loyalties lie?" Celeste asked

"I am an Imperial agent first. I serve the Imperial Federation. That said, I have a lot of respect and loyalty for the Jedi" Corde replied

"And if you had to choose?" Celeste asked

"I've already had to. Long before you were born" Corde replied. Celeste and Faei left the cockpit.

xxxx xxxx

"We're landing" Corde said over the comm "Cockpit is clear"

"Well that's good" Celeste said, walking down the ramp "I wonder where we are..." her voice trailed off as she took a look around where they had landed.

A massive, sphereical ship was above them. It had landing struts deployed and was sitting in a large pit. It looked like it had been here for years"

"Lucrehulk class core ship. Been here for almost two hundred years" Corde said

"I've heard of these" Celeste remarked "But I've never actually seen one"

"I'm in love. Such works of art" Faei said

"Careful, the _Legacy_ might get offended" Celeste joked

"Nah, she knows I love her more" Faei said

"Celeste, Faei" Corde said as a group of people walked up "May I present her highness, Marasiah Fel" Corde said

"I'm accustomed to people bowing in my presence" the Empress said

"I'm not accustomed to bowing" Celeste replied "Especially not when time is short" she crossed her arms. Several of the Empress' guards moved in on Celeste, but Fel held her hand up, a slight grin on her face

"Who are you?" she asked

"Celeste Skywalker. Daughter of Cade" Celeste replied "And I'm here on business"

"What business?" Fel asked

"Galactic business" Celeste replied

"What kind of galactic business?" Fel asked, obviously testing Celeste's patience

"The kind that if we don't get to it soon, we might lose a chance to get you back on the throne on Coruscant" Celeste said with a grin

"I'm listening" Fel said.

"Your highness, have you heard of the Rakata?" Celeste asked

"No" Fel replied

"Long story short, they controlled the galaxy before the Republic using Dark Force energies to power their civilization and technologies. They died out around the time of the Jedi Civil War. It seems that there was a rogue group that disagreed with the use of Dark Force energies and went about creating a device that could absorb all the Dark Force energy in the galaxy. They never got a chance to activate it. But I believe I encountered this device when I was a child" Celeste said

"Interesting. What does this have to do with me?" Fel asked

"I have a plan to get to it, but we need the combined forces of the Federation and the Jedi Order to get it" Celeste said

"Where is this device?" Fel asked

"Korriban" Celeste replied

"Impossible" Fel said, walking towards the chasm "Korriban is the most heavily defended world in the galaxy. The Sith have at least a hundred ships with their most loyal officers stationed there"

"I know. What I need is the Federation and the Jedi to take Coruscant" Celeste said

"We do not have much of a fleet left. Less than half of what my father had when Darth Krayt took the throne. We do not have the ships to take Coruscant" Fel admitted "We have a small fleet that I sent to the Unknown Regions for safe keeping with the Chiss"

"I'll wager that you have an active shipyard or two and that you have operatives on Coruscant" Celeste accused

"Yes" Fel replied "But it will take time to get any movement out of it"

"That's fine. But we need to get the ball rolling" Celeste said

"I believe we should speak in private" Fel said, beginning to walk back to the ramp leading up to the core ship. Celeste followed, but Faei and Corde remained behind.

xxxx xxxx

Celeste walked out of the ship a short time later, a sour look on her face

"Let's go" she said, walking back towards the _Legacy_

"That did not go well" Faei whispered to Corde as Celeste stormed up the ramp. Faei followed her

"Sooooo" Faei started

"We have our fleet. It's not much, but we have our fleet" Celeste said

"Then why the sour look?" Faei asked

"Because her royal highness said that because of where the fleet is and the restriction of information among personnel, it will take six weeks to get it combat ready" Celeste slouched against the bulkhead

"Yikes. That's a bit of a wait time" Faei commented

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Celeste reacted "You'd think that launching an all or nothing attack on the galactic capital would allow for a bit less restriction. Heck, the fleet could be combat ready before we could fly to the capital from here if the restrictions were lifted" Celeste said, resting her head in her hands

"She has her reasons, Cel" Faei said

"Faei, this is an all or nothing venture. We either win or lose. All the cards are on the table. There won't be a retreat, won't be anything. Security isn't going to mean a damn if we lose and taking time like this could cause security issues!" Celeste protested

"Hmm, that's a good point" Faei said

"That's what the Empress said. Then stayed on her plan. Why? I have no clue as to why" Celeste said, talking in circles

"So what are we going to do now?" Faei asked

"Back to the Jedi" Celeste sighed "At least we have an answer for them"

xxxx xxxx

"We are disappointed that you chose to inform the Empress without waiting for our decision" K'kruhk said

"I am disappointed you chose to wait on a decision about informing your closest ally!" Celeste shot back

"This is primarily Jedi business" Qua said "The Empress understands that. We had a mutual understanding during the time of Triumverate"

"Well she understood me better" Celeste snapped "She is making her fleet ready. Due to security issues, it won't be combat ready for another six weeks. You have that long to decide if you are in this or not. You know where I stand"

"What is your hostility for?" Bruhala asked

"I'm just annoyed that the high and mighty Jedi council won't lift a finger to save themselves" Celeste replied "I thought you were the guardians of the galaxy"

"We were. But in these times we must look to our survival" Helos said

"Of course" Celeste said "But you had a job to do and you failed"

"We had no choice" Qua said. "You would understand that if you knew history"

"I've read the history. many Jedi tried to anticipate the future. They failed to see what was coming" Celeste replied

"This discussion is pointless" K'kruhk said "We will meditate and decide on our participation in this battle of yours, Celeste" as the council walked out

xxxx xxxx

"Well, we have a month or so. What now?" Faei asked as Celeste walked up the _Legacy_'s ramp.

"Nar Shaddaa. I need to kick back" Celeste replied.

"Sounds like a plan" Faei said, walking towards the cockpit. Celeste headed for her quarters.

Stepping inside, she heard a voice from the corner

"Celeste" it said. She turned and saw Luke's ghost standing there

"What do you want this time? Here to berade me again?" Celeste asked

"No. You must go to Dathomir, there is someone there who needs your help" he said


	17. Chapter 17 The Witches

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 17**

**The Witches**

"Why me?" Celeste asked

"Because this is something only you can do" Luke said

"You sure about that?" Celeste asked "Lot of powerful Jedi down there"

"You, Celeste, are the only one who can complete this task" Luke said calmly "If you refuse, it would lead to a devestating effect on the galaxy"

"Thanks, I think" Celeste said

"You must go alone. It is too dangerous for anyone else" Luke added

"Faei can handle herself" Celeste protested

"Not on this mission" Luke said "The danger to a non Force sensitive is too great. Dathomir is a world shrouded in the Force. Dangerous for anyone who is not connected to it"

"You saying if she goes she'll be killed?" Celeste inquired

"No. However the risk is very great" Luke said

"Look, I'll go, but I'm not walking into something like this alone" Celeste protested

"If you insist. But you have been warned. Beware the Nightsisters" he said as he vanished.

Celeste sighed, changed her shirt and walked out to the cockpit

"That took you awhile" Faei remarked

"I had a visit from our favourite ghost" Celeste said

"What'd he say?" Faei asked

"Apparently someone needs my help. I'm going to Dathomir" Celeste replied

"You? What about me?" Faei demanded

"He said it was too dangerous for non Force sensitives and that I had to go alone" Celeste replied

"Oh. Okay" Faei said, disappointed

"But since when have I ever listened to advice about going somewhere alone?" Celeste snickered. Faei smiled and turned back to the console.

xxxx xxxx

"So, promise me something, will you?" Celeste asked as the _Legacy_ reverted to realspace

"What?" Faei asked

"If I tell you to run, you run back to the ship and leave, alright?" Celeste said

"Why the concern?" Faei asked

"Just nervous. I've heard stories about Dathomir and since I was told you shouldn't come that hasn't helped" Celeste replied

"Fair enough. I'll do my best" Faei replied. Celeste smiled as the _Legacy_ began the dive to the planet's surface.

xxxx

Stepping off the ramp, blaster rifle slung over her shoulder, lightsaber hanging from her belt and with a longer jacket on, Celeste took in a breath of the damp air.

"Lovely smell, ain't it?" Faei chuckled. Before Celeste could reply, an energy arrow struck the ground near Celeste's feet. She backed up really quick, looking around.

Two figures landed on the ground a distance away. Both wore red spiked hoods and long orange skirts.

"WHO ARE YOU?" one of them demanded

"Who are we? Who are you?" Celeste shot back, hand on her lightsaber

"Who we are is of no concern to you, outsider" one of the warriors said "Again we ask who you are and what you are doing here!"

"I am Celeste. I was told there was someone here who needed my help" Celeste replied

"And who told you this?" Another figure who appeared from the fog

"A ghost" Celeste replied

"It would" Celeste replied

"I see. Then you have arrived just in time. I am Desp'ta of the Singing Mountain Clan" the figure said. Celeste got her first good look. The figure was elderly, but Celeste figured she could not be too old. She wore a long cloak and a hood covering her head.

"I am Celeste Skywalker" Celeste announced

"Skywalker?" Desp'ta inquired

"Yes" Celeste replied

"Would that have an relation to Luke Skywalker?"

"My ancestor"

"I see. This way" Desp'ta said, walking into the fog. Faei pressed some keys on the pad beside the ramp. It raised up and locked in place.

"So you said that I arrived just in time. What did you mean by that?" Celeste asked as she caught up with the woman

"Our clan mother has been abducted by the Nightsisters" Desp'ta said "We do not have the strength or the numbers to resist them. We have been in conflict with them before, but only minor skirmishes, nothing like this. We must get her back"

"I've heard stories of Dathomiri witches. I thought your power was legendary" Celeste said

"In the past, but we were attacked thirty years ago and driven to the point of the clan almost being destroyed" Desp'ta said as she walked

"The purge" Celeste narrowed her eyes "Most of the Jedi order was destroyed that day too"

"That is unfortunate" Desp'ta replied "Our society was founded by a fallen Jedi almost seven hundred years ago. In her final days, she created the Book of Law, which has governed our society since her death. The most important part of it is that no sister shall ever concede to evil or use anger or hate to fuel our magicks. The Nightsisters are those that have fallen and used the dark magicks. After we were purged, their numbers beceame numerous as many young sisters sought to find revenge for the deaths"

"So why would they take your Clan Mother?" Faei asked

"After the Sith gained control of the galaxy, Dathomir became isolated as it was back before the days of the New Republic. When Luke Skywalker was last here, he entrusted our clan with a ship. Mother Cest is the only remaining one who knows where it is" Desp'ta said. Celeste quickly turned to Faei, who nodded and ran back towards the _Legacy_. "It is my belief that they took our Clan Mother so she could tell them it's location and how to access it. They could spread out to the galaxy and take their revenge" Desp'ta finished

A few moments later, Faei sent a comm signal

"I'm in the air, nobody else onboard" she said

"Tell her that there is an old, abandoned Imperial station orbiting our largest moon. No one has been there in over a century" Desp'ta said

"Got that Faei?" Celeste said into her commlink

"Copy. I have it on my scope. I'll set down and sit tight" Faei said

"Copy that" Celeste said and closed the channel.

Stepping out of the fog, a large building appeared, built out of stone. A fortress built out of a mountain

"This is my home" Desp'ta said as the main gate opened

"ELDER!" one of the warriors yelled, running towards the group "Elder sister, our scouts have spotted Nightsister warriors approaching!"

"We're under attack?" Celeste asked

"Yes. We must take shelter until they leave" Desp'ta said

"Why not fight?" Celeste asked

"We do not have many warriors. We must hide"

"You hide. I fight" Celeste said, drawing her rifle and lightsaber as she walked back outside the main gate. It closed behind her.

Closing her eyes, Celeste sat cross legged in front of the gate. Lightsaber on her left side and blaster on her right.

When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by several warriors. Wearing red and black outfits with pale skin and black tattoos dotting their bodies. Holding energy bows and spears aimed at Celeste, they seemed on edge. Dozens of more wariors were barely visible across the field.

"Hello" Celeste said calmly

"Who are you? You are not of the clans" one of the warriors said

"I am Celeste" Celeste replied, still sitting

"What are you doing here?" Another warrior asked

"Defending those you attack" Celeste replied

"We have no quarrel with you"

"Why do you attack these people?" Celeste asked

"We must have their ship!"

"But why?"

"Many of our sisters were killed when the Sith attacked. We seek vengence!"

"Leave now" Celeste said calmly "I won't let you attack these people"

"You have no choice, outsider" one of the warriors raised her weapon to strike. Celeste picked up her lightsaber and, in an instant, drove the blade deep into the warrior's torso. The Nightsister fell backwards, a smoking hole in her chest.

Celeste grabbed her blaster and jumped backwards, taking a defensive posture.

The Nightsister warriors screamed and charged.

Striking with a sword, Celeste dodged, slashing at another of the warriors while tripping the one she had just dodged. Both went down, one did not get up.

Quick on her feet, Celeste managed to dodge most of their attacks, but a few energy arrows started to shred her jacket and a hard kick from one of the warriors knocked her blaster away.

Moving around one of the warriors, Celeste drove her blade deep into the warrior's torso from behind.

Barely managing to dodge another one of the warrior's sword strikes, Celeste moved to the side, slashing at another one of the warriors, who went down fairly quickly.

A shriek sounded from the distance and the Nightsister warriors began to retreat.

Celeste stood in front of the gate as they disappeared into the fog. Desp'ta and a few warriors appeared a few moments later.

"They're gone" Celeste said

"The Nightsisters do not give up easily, they will return" Desp'ta said

"Let them come" Celeste replied, picking up her blaster

"Come inside" Desp'ta said, ushering Celeste inside the mountain fortress.

xxxx

"Our clans have existed for just under eight hundred years. The Nightsisters have only been together for just over two hundred years. Never in that time have they been this aggressive towards another clan" Desp'ta said as she, Celeste and several clan sisters sat around a fire

"But you said that your clan mother knows where the ship is hidden. Why was it hidden in the first place?" Celeste asked

"Concerns. Master Skywalker believed that there would come a time when Dathomir was again cut off from the galaxy and he wanted to give us a way to escape should that happen. Our clan mother at the time explained that we would not abandon Dathomir" Desp'ta said

"So you chose to stay, even when the Sith came" Celeste said

"Yes. The Nightsisters were purged from Dathomir twice. Both times we hoped that they would not return. But with the Sith coming in large numbers to cleanse the planet of us, they also destroyed the Jedi academy that was here. The Singing Mountain Clan was a great friend to the Jedi Order. Several of it's notable members, including one of the Queen Mothers for the Hapans was born a member of the Singing Mountain Clan" Desp'ta said, waving her arm at the mountain

"That's impressive" Celeste said

"Indeed. We were good friends with the Order. But they were forced to abandon our world. Then the Sith came. We hold no ill will towards the Jedi. Many of our sisters held great anger against the Sith for what they did. They broke our code and we were forced to exile them outside our walls so they could meditate and regain their balance in the light" Desp'ta said "We hope that they would meditate and find their way back to us"

"But they fell in with the Nightsisters?" Celeste asked

"They were seduced by the Nightsisters and gave in to the evil within. Some returned to us, but most did not. We fear they will overwhelm us" Desp'ta admitted "Without our Clan Mother, we will be lost"

"You seem to be doing fine" Celeste commented

"I am only an elder. I am next in line for the title of Clan Mother, yes, but I am not ready. Years remain until that time" Desp'ta replied

"I wasn't ready to be taken from my mother and later tossed into the galaxy. I wasn't ready to have the legacy of one of the greatest families in the history of the galaxy thrust upon me" Celeste said, pointing a finger at the elder "But I survived and I faced the challenges. You might have to do the same!"

"Interesting. I shall have to remember that" Desp'ta said, a hand on her chin

"Meantime, where are the Nightsisters located?" Celeste asked

"We do not know. They are the only clan that does not call a specific part of Dathomir their home. We do not know where they are. Even if we did, we would not be able to take any action against them, our numbers are so few" Desp'ta said

"That's unfortunate" Celeste mulled, crossing her arms "And no way to track them without bringing Faei down"

"There may be a way" one of the other elders said "I am Arsai"

"How can you track them?" Celeste asked

"Don't, Arsai, it is too dangerous" Desp'ta implored

"I may be able to sense their magicks, if many of them are using it in a singular area" Arsai said "It is not a guarentee, but.." Arsai said

"It's woth a shot" Celeste finished

"I will need some time to prepare" Arsai said

"I will assist" Desp'ta said. Arsai nodded in agreement

"I'm going to give Faei an update" Celeste said, stepping into a small building.

"Faei, you there?" Celeste said into her commlink

"Ten four. I docked at the Imp station. It's a dead mess" Faei replied, her breathing audible

"Are you in a suit?" Celeste asked

"Yes. I decided to take a walk around this station and see what I could find. There is a lot of old tech just lying around. I'd say this place was evacuated in a hurry" Faei replied "Dragged some stuff back to the _Legacy_ and I'm on my way to slice the computers"

"Just be careful. We've engaged the Nightsisters down here. Just trying to find out where they are" Celeste said

"You want me to buzz the planet and do a scan?" Faei asked

"No. Stay up there until you hear from me" Celeste replied

"Can do. You be careful too" Faei cautioned

"Please, Faei. It's me!" Celeste said

"Exactly" Faei replied with a snicker. Celeste closed the link and stepped out of the building, back into the open air.

"So where are we at?" Celeste asked one of the sisters outside the building that Arsai was in

"Preperation will take some time" the sister replied "I am Serah"

"Nice to meet you" Celeste replied "How long will it take?"

"Why are you so anxious?" Serah asked

"I just want to get back into the galaxy. Got a lot to do and not much time to do it in" Celeste replied

"Surely you have some time you can spare" Serah said

"Not as much as I'd like. But more than I want" Celeste said back

"I'm not sure I understand" Serah said

"We're going to take on the Sith directly. But we need to get our fleet together. In the mean time I would like to have some time to prepare myself for the coming battle. It's not going to be easy"

"Battles are never easy" Serah comforted

"I mean this one is a family affair. My mother is Sith" Celeste admitted

"Your mother...?" Serah was taken aback

"Yes. Which means that if she won't help me, I might have to try and end her. I'm not sure if I can" Celeste said quietly

"Nobody is sure what they can do until the moment is upon them" Serah counseled

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'd just rather not find out" Celeste said. Arsai walked out of the building

"They are at the old Jedi temple" the elder said. Celeste stood up

"How do I get there?"


	18. Chapter 18 The Master

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 18**

**The Master**

"The old temple resides near the ocean" Desp'ta said "It has been abandoned for over almost half a century"

"So which way is fastest?" Celeste asked

"It would take you days, perhaps longer, to walk there" Arsai said

"I'll comm Faei, she can drop off my bike" Celeste said, pressing keys on her wrist computer

"No need. We have speeders here" Desp'ta said

"Even better" Celeste smiled

"I will show you were it is" Serah said

"It is too dangerous!" Desp'ta insisted

"Elder, with respect, you are needed here. There are few who know where the temple is anymore and Celeste will need a guide" Serah said

"It would be good to have someone show me around" Celeste said

"Very well" Desp'ta sighed "Serah, show Celeste where the temple is and them come back"

"Yes, elder" Serah replied, bowing slightly.

One of the other sisters brought the speeder bike out of it's garage. Serah sat on the front and Celete took the passenger's seat.

"Here we go" Serah said as the bike sped past the main gate.

xxxx xxxx

A torrential downpour began as the temple came into view on the horizon

"Another few minutes and we'll be there!" Serah shouted back

"Bout time" Celeste shouted back as the rain pelted her face.

xxxx

Closing in on the temple, Celste began to make out some of the finer details.

Built from stone, it arched like a pyramid, but with a spire on each corner. It was obviously built to impress those who came near it.

Before they could get close, the bike began to shake

"What's going on?" Celeste shouted

"I don't know. I'm loosing control!" Serah replied. It began to shake more and more "The repulsors are failing!"

"BAIL!" Celeste yelled and pushed herself off. Serah followed behind as the bike crashed into a large rock formation.

Celeste grunted as she pushed herself off the ground. The sound of bootsteps focused her attention.

"You should not come here" a voice said. Celeste looked up to see one of the Nightsisters that had fled the engagement. Most were dressed differently, less specialized. Celeste assumed the ones she had faced were of an elite nature.

"You should not have attacked the other clan" Celeste said, standing up

"You will die here. Your last mistake was coming to challenge us" the warrior said, many other of her kind stepping behind her and on top of nearby boulders

"Serah, run" Celeste said. The witch nodded and began to move, prompting several Nightsisters to pursue her. Celeste pulled out her blaster and with precision aim, shot them all. They fell to the ground, lifeless.

Thunder echoed in the sky and lightning showed it's jagged presence as the Nightsisters screamed

"YOU DIE NOW, OUTSIDER!" the warrior closest to Celeste screamed

"Not. Today" Celeste replied, igniting her lightsaber.

The warriors charged, swords drawn and screaming their cries of battle. Celeste could not see them all, but she estimated they were several hundred strong.

Slashing her blade, a warrior attacked. Celeste dodged and fired her blaster, catching the warrior in between the eyes. Another struck, ripping a hole in Celeste's jacket, but died after Celeste's lightsaber met her neck.

Side stepping, Celeste barely managed to dodge an energy arrow. She raised her blaster and fired, catching the archer square in the chest before thrusting her lightsaber into another.

Another came forward. And another. They all met the same fate.

Celeste began to see bruises on her arms as she was attacked repeatedly, several swords barely making contact before the owner met their grizzly end.

Standing at the center, Celeste began to see flashbacks. Blaster in the right hand, sword in the left. She saw herself back on Iego, facing down Stormtroopers and Sith alike.

"NO!" She screamed to sky "THIS ISN'T LIKE BEFORE!" A blast of Force energy eminated from her body, extending outward in every direction. She fell to the ground, trying to keep herself from toppling over. Gritting her teeth, she slowly began to stand again. "This. Isn't. Like. Before" She said under her breath.

The Nightsisters charged again. Still fighting flashbacks, Celeste had a hard time dodging attacks and a few swords managed to scrap her skin before the sword owner met their end.

Panting and soaking wet from the rain, the Nightsisters began to back off. Celeste spotted a lone figure coming towards her

"Hello, child" the figure said, coming into view. It's voice had a slightly high pitch, but a very deep echo.

"You must be the Clan Mother" Celeste inquired

"I am. You fight with vigor and strength. You would be a good addition to our clan!" she said

"No. Way" Celeste replied

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here to free the Singing Mountain Clan Mother" Celeste replied

"We still have need of her"

"You need the ship she guards" Celeste inquired

"Correct. Although since you are an offworlder, you must have a ship. If you give it to us, we will have no further need to keep the Clan Mother"

"No chance. I sent it off world as soon as it landed" Celeste replied

"Then we have a problem" the Mother said

"I'd say" Celeste said, bringing her body into a defensive stance

"You challenge me, Mazeta of the Nightsister clan?"

"Bring it" Celeste replied, holding her blaster high.

Both women stood firm, neither making the first move. All the Nightsisters stood around them, waiting and watching.

Mazeta levitated herself above the ground slowly. Celeste barely managed to dodge as Force lightening shot out. Jumping and dodging, Celeste managed to avoid the lightning, but she quickly realized that unless she got closer, a kill strike would be impossible.

Celeste tried to move closer, but as she neared close range, a lightning bolt struck her body and she convulsed in the worst pain she had ever felt. Mazeta grinned as Celeste shook and moved, trying to break free. Her cries echoed throughout the plains.

With every last ounce of strength, she brought her lightsaber to bear, blocking the lightning. Mazeta continued to send out bolts, trying to breach Celeste's defenses, but the crimson red lightsaber held steady.

Putting all her strength to work, Celeste stood up, keeping the blade between herself and Mazeta

"You lose" Celeste said, raising her blaster. Before the witch could react, Celeste pulled the trigger.

Mazeta fell backwards to the ground, a smoking hole in her head.

The Nightsisters screamed in rage, drawing their weapons. Panting, Celeste looked around her only to find that she was completely encircled.

She tried to keep her eyes open, but realized that the effort of surviving the lightning had taken a large toll on her. Raising her lightsaber was difficult, but she made herself do it.

The witches charged. Celeste fired off as many shots as she could from her blaster felling several of her opponents, but she was just too weak to continue. She closed her eyes and fell to her knees.

As the Nightsisters got close, a horn sounded in the distance. They stopped and looked up. Celeste joined them.

Looking up at the cliffs, squinting her eyes to see past the rain and the darkness, Celeste began to make out figures, large figures. Her eyes widened when she realized they were Rancors.

"Oh that's lovely" she commented. She became confused when she realized that the spots of light were torches. Torches carried by riders.

"That's new" Celeste remarked as the lights began to move.

The ground shook as the Rancors charged the plains. Celeste pushed herself to her feet, trying to move out of the way.

The Rancors moved past her, ignoring her very presence. One of them stopped and knelt to the ground. A lone figure jumped off.

"Are you okay?" Serah asked

"Just...tired" Celeste replied, falling to the ground and passing out.

xxxx

Opening her eyes, Celeste looked around and tried to sit up

"Easy" Serah said, looking over her "You took a lot of damage"

"It was that damned lightning" Celeste said, holding her head "Anything serious?"

"No physical damage, but you will be sore for awhile. The injuries are superficial, but I don't think you'll be pulling off combat stunts like that for awhile. I'm gonna leave" Serah replied "I've got to oversee the funeral services for the fallen"

"Funeral services?" Celeste inquired

"We honor our fallen, even if they have given in to the darkness" Serah replied

"Yeah, I guess I did take out more than a few" Celeste said, hanging her head

"But you did more than that" Serah consoled "You showed them that darkness is not the way. Those who retreated, most of them have sworn to go into exile to meditate. We are hopeful that they will return to us in time after they have purged the darkness. You fell many of our sisters, but it looks like you have saved many more, including Mother Gezera of the Singing Mountain"

"That makes me feel a bit better" Celeste said, sliding off the table where she had been laying as Serah walked out, closing the door behind her

"You did well" a voice from behind her said. Celeste turned around. Luke was standing there "I had a feeling you would"

"Yeah thanks. So I'm done here then?" Celeste asked

"No"

"But I helped the Clan Mother!" Celeste protested

"That was not who you were here to help" Luke said

"Then WHO?" Celeste demanded

"Move to the main chamber" Luke said as he vanished

xxxx

"OKAY NOW WHAT?" Celeste yelled as she stood in the center of the temple's main chamber

"This structure is so beautiful" Luke said, appearing behind her "The Witches believe that this is the site where their founder, Allya, landed on Dathomir. They built this temple to honor her legacy. That's part of the reason I chose this structure to use as my academy"

"So why are we in here?" Celeste asked

"Yet when I was alive, I didn't know what lay underneath it. We explored the entire structure and even the catacombs underneath it. We had no idea. It wasn't until the Nightsisters took over the temple that I found out" Luke said, ignoring what Celeste had said

"No idea of what? Why am I here?" Celeste repeated herself

"That circle in the floor. It is not attatched. It is merely a slab of rock. Pick it up and move it" Luke instructed

"Are you nuts? That's way too heavy" Celeste objected

"A single person can move an entire Star Destroyer with the Force. That is nothing" Luke said

"If you say so" Celeste said

"I do. Focus your mind and calm yourself" Luke guided. Celeste put her hands out. The floor began to shake and the slab began to move, ever so slightly.

Celeste grunted and began to sweat as it slowly began to lift. With a heavy sigh, she stopped and fell to the floor

"You almost had it" Luke said

"I almost gave myself a heart attack" Celeste said back "No way can I move it"

"You must"

"So you're absolutely sure that I have to get underneath it?"

"Yes"

"Good. Then it's time for plan B" Celeste said, reaching for her belt and pulling out a thermal detonator

"No. You must use the Force" Luke said before she could throw it

"Why?"

"You must learn concentration and patience" Luke said "You will need to use those skills in the future"

"Fine" Celeste sighed and sat down on the floor.

Again she reached out with her hands and tried to move the slab. It began to shake and slowly raise off the ground. With all she had, Celeste gritted her teeth and tried to pour all her energy into moving the slab. It got a few centimeters off the ground before it fell with a loud slam

"I...I can't" Celeste tried to catch her breath

"You must" Luke repeated

"What part of I can't don't you understand?" Celeste said

"I was that way once" Luke said "I couldn't lift my X Wing from a swamp when I started training"

"That's a little different" Celeste said

"Is it?"

"Well yeah. For one, I'm not starting training, I've had seventeen years of training myself to block my Force abilities. To do something like this is next to impossible"

"As a great master once said to me, you must unlearn what you have learned" Luke said

"That's helpful" Celeste rolled her eyes

"It was for me"

"Yeah not so much for me" Celeste said as she dragged herself behind a stone bench

"It is more than you know"

"Right. I'll remember that" Celeste said as she tossed the thermal detonator.

The explosion shook the temple and when Celeste looked out she limped to where the slab was.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me" Celeste reacted when she saw that the slab was damaged, but intact.

"Use the Force" Luke repeated

"Just, give me a few minutes to get my strength back" Celeste said, pulling a canteen from her belt and taking a drink.

"Alright" Celeste said after a few minutes "Let's try again" she moved out from behind cover and looked at the slab. A large crater shape was missing from it. Celeste guessed that half of it was gone. "Okay, let's try this again" she said extending her arms.

The slab began to move, slowly at first. Soon it was off the ground

"It's definetly lighter" Celeste said as she moved the slab "I...can't...hold...it" Celeste grunted and dropped her arms. The slab fell to the floor with a thud, but it didn't slide into it's slot.

Struggling, Celeste managed to push herself to her feet and limp over to where the slab had been. Looking down, she saw a chamber

"It was long hidden. Even I did not know it was here. Nobody knew" Luke said. Celeste looked down and saw a large crystal

"A tomb" Celeste said

"This is person who you are here to help. And who can help you" Luke said "You must find a way to free them" he said as he vanished

"Well okay then" Celeste said, jumping down to the chamber.

She looked around. It was a large, circular chamber. The crystal took up a large part of it.

"Well, what to do what to do" Celeste muttered to herself. No computers, no nothing. Just brick and stone.

"You must open the cage" Luke's voice whispered, but he did not appear.

With no visible access point, she drew her lightsaber and from the front of the crystal, stabbed the side. A puff of pressurized air blew out from the side and the front of the cyrstal began to shatter. Covering herself, crystal fragments blew over the entire room.

When she looked up, she reacted just in time to catch a Devaronian female fall out of the crystal.

With a groan, the woman began to rouse

"Who...who are you?" she asked

"I am Celeste"

"You freed me" the woman said, brushing her fur and trying to stand

"Do you know who and where you are?" Celeste asked as the female stood

"I am Master Rayre Nos'tarra of the Jedi Order. I am on Dathomir" she replied

"Well that's a start" Celeste said

"Who are you?" the Jedi looked down

I'm Celeste. Celeste Skywalker"

"Am I supposed to recognize that name?" the Master asked

"Everyone else does"

"I am afraid that I do not"

"Well that's a first"

"I do not believe that I am from this period in time"

"How long?"

"I was sent to check up on Allya after her exile, to see if she was coming back to being with the light side of the Force"

"Seriously? That was over seven hundred years ago!" Celeste said "You've been here for that long?"

"Apparently so. I came here" Nos'tarra said "And I was confronted by Allya's children. They defeated me, but Allya decreed that I was to be spared"

"Nice of her" Celeste said

"It was done to prevent her from receiving the wrath of the council"

"Ah that makes sense"

"So why have you revived me?"

"I was told you needed assitance"

"By who?"

"The spirit of a long dead Jedi Master"

"So you are a Jedi?"

"No. I'm just doing a job"

"What job is that?"

"Ending the Sith"

"I see. But how can you do that if you are not a Jedi?" Nos'tarra

"With a whole lot of luck" Celeste replied "My ancestral family on my father's side is one of the most well known families in the galaxy. My great great great grandfather restored the Jedi Order"

"Restored?"

"Yes, after the Purge"

"The purge was over fourty one hundred years ago. Long before my time"

"There have been two more. The one before my grandfather restored the order saw the fall of the Galactic Republic along with it"

"The Republic is gone?" Nos'tarra asked with concern

"Almost two hundred years gone. The Order went from thousands to around a dozen" Celeste replied

"Oh my"

"Was gone. Then restored. Then purged again about thirty years ago by the Sith"

"I see that I have a lot to catch up on. Why are you after the Sith?" Nos'tarra asked

"Because they are responsible for the chaos the galaxy is currently in as well as they are trying to kill me. Isn't that enough?"

"So you are untrained, unfocused and on a mission of death"

"That sums it up. Though I have seventeen years of training myself not to use my Force abilities"

"Then it seems, Celeste Skywalker, that you are in need of my help. You will not make it to the Sith without Jedi training"

"I've done well so far. Taken out more than a few Sith and more than a few Nightsisters as well"

"I sense your power. I also sense your anger. I can teach you to control it and realize your potential"

"So when did we go from me giving you a history lesson to you offering to train me?"

"Right now. I can teach you to unlock your full potential. I was the right hand of the Order's Grand Master for many years prior to my imprisonment, after all"

"So you teach me what you know, and then what?"

"Then we will complete your mission. If the Sith are responsible for not one but two Jedi purges and the fall of the Republic, they must pay the price"

"I thought the Jedi didn't believe in revenge" Celeste said

"There is a fine line, my student, between revenge and justice" Nos'tarra paced

"Before you start calling me student, you should know that my mother is a Sith" Celeste informed the Master

"I see. Do you accept my offer?"

"I do" Celeste replied, kneeling down "Teach me what you know"


	19. Chapter 19 The Endgame Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 19**

**The Endgame Begins**

"So no one has seen Celeste for over a month?!" Cade asked loudly

"I send a comm to Arek on Nar Shaddaa. She and Faei never arrived" Corde said

"Well that's great. This is her operation and she's not around" Cade said with a sigh

"She ditched" Blue added "I'm not surprised

"We have company" one of the Knights said, pressing the gate button.

Two speeder bikes slowed down and stopped inside the entry hallway of the palace as the main gate closed behind them.

Taking off her goggles, Celeste looked up

"So. Miss me?" she asked and jumped off

"Where have you been?" Cade ran up to her

"Dathomir" Celeste replied

"And why would you go there?" K'kruhk asked in his deep voice

"Because I learned that someone needed my help" Celeste said, gesturing to Nos'tarra

"Who are you and why have you come here?" K'kruhk asked

"I am Jedi Master Rayre Nos'tarra. Of the Galactic Republic" the Devaronian replied, fluffing her fur "I was trapped on Dathomir until Celeste freed me"

"Doing that took you a month?" Cade interrogated his daughter

"No. Doing that took overnight. Training took over a month" Celeste replied

"Training?" Corde inquired

"Yes. I have been teaching Celeste all I know about the Force" Nos'tarra replied "I only wish that we could have had more time for the lessons"

"I did learn a great deal, Master" Celeste said

"That you did, my student. You have more skill than I imagined and you have much wisdom. I only wish there was more I could teach you" Nos'tarra said with a grin

"So you've been training then?" Corde asked as she walked up

"Yes. I didn't expect it, but I couldn't refuse either" Celeste replied "So what's our status?"

"The fleet is only a couple days away from being ready" Qua said "We were preparing to leave and meet with Empress Fel"

"I will come with" Celeste said "I want to speak the Empress"

xxxx xxxx

"I heard you were lost in the stars" Marasiah Fel said as Celeste and company descended the _Legacy_'s ramp on Geonosis

"No. I was in training on Dathomir" Celeste replied

"I do not know you" Fel said, looking at Master Nos'tarra

"I am a Jedi. I am here assisting Celeste. That is all you need to know, Imperial" Nos'tarra shot back

"Very well" Fel said, holding up her hands to stop her guards from moving forward "Shall we begin?"

xxxx

"Coruscant is heavily defended. Any attack would require precision and a large fleet" One of the Imperial Admirals said, as a hologram of Coruscant and the surrounding space lit up the room. "Empress, I am afraid our fleet is insufficient to win this battle" he said. Marasiah looked at Celeste

"Do you have an idea?"

"I was just thinking of how to get onto Korriban" Celeste replied

"Coruscant is the target" the Admiral said

"No" Celeste replied "Coruscant is the diversion. Korriban is the real target" Celeste said and called up a hologram of Korriban

"The largest fleet, twice as large as the one protecting Coruscant, is stationed at Korriban" the Admiral said "It would be impossible to get there alive!"

"Which is why we attack Coruscant. The Sith will have to take ships away from Korriban if they want to hold Coruscant. Korriban may be the center of authority for the Sith, but if they want to control the galaxy at large, they'll need Coruscant" Celeste said

"And what if they don't move ships from Korriban to Coruscant?" Fel asked

"Then we bide our time, build a larger fleet and attack once we can" Celeste replied

"So we have to hope they take the bait then" Cade said

"They will" Celeste assured them

"So what are the planetary defenses likes?" Faei asked

"Golan II and III stations combined with smaller satellite defenses" the Empress replied "Most likely upgraded since we left"

"Are the satellite and Golan stations independantly controlled or linked?" Cade asked

"They are linked. I oversaw the process myself" Fel replied

"And the Sith would have kept this system in?" Cade asked with arms crossed

"Most likely. A few minor changes to security, but it should be the same" Fel replied

"How do you know?" K'kruhk asked

"Because the system works. It's called the ADS. Active Defense System. Using several droid brains, it actively scans the area around Coruscant and diverts extra shields and targeting systems where the threats are" Fel replied "It also saves massive amounts of power. Instead of having the entire planetary shield online, it only activates it where and when it is needed"

"That's risky" Qua said

"And it also deploys defenses where ever it cannot detect anything. No blind spots. No weaknesses" Fel said with a sigh

"So we need to get boots on the ground to overrun the control center" Corde said "Which is where?"

"Primary control was put in the Palace, but it most likely has been moved"

"Probably to the temple" Cade said

"That would make sense. Our agents would likely know more" Fel said

"You have agents on Coruscant?" K'kruhk asked

"A few. We left them there. Just to gather information after we left" Fel replied

"You never told us that" K'kruhk said sternly

"It was need to know, Master" Fel replied "And nobody outside my inner circle needed to know. Too many security issues"

"I suppose that is fair. But you should have informed the council" Bruhala said, pointing a finger at the Empress

"We need to decide who will go"

"I'll go. That'll keep the Sith focused on me" Celeste said

"How will you get on world?" Fel asked

"The _Maiden's Mist_" Celeste replied before Faei could "She's got a clean record and barely even scorch damage on her hull"

"I wasn't aware you owned two ships" Fel said

"It's not mine. It belongs to someone I know who might be able to help us out" Celeste said

"Very well. And if not?"

"We'll improvise" Celeste replied with a grin "Give us five days, then begin your assault"

."Very well. Make sure you complete your mission" Fel said, looking Celeste straight in the eyes

"I will. Give us six days and then launch the attack. I'll take a small team down to override the security system. Faei can take the rest of the Jedi and a small Imperial strike force to the surface when the attack begins. You can land your other troops however you want" Celeste said

"We'll be targeting the palace" Fel said

"We'll be taking on the temple" Celeste added "Do you have a small ship we can borrow for the trip to Nar Shaddaa?"

"Of course" Fel turned to one of her assistants "See to it" she said. He nodded and walked out. Fel turned back to Celeste "Here are contacts we have. Our agents will be able to help you" She said and tossed the datapad. Celeste caught it.

"Sounds good to me" Celeste smiled and turned to walk out. Cade, Corde and Nos'tarra followed her.

xxxx

"So you must be Celeste" a voice from near the hangar bay door said. Celeste turned to see a human female standing with her arms crossed

"That I would. And you are?"

"Colonel Gunn Yage" the officer extended her hand out. Celeste shook it

"Good to see you again" Cade said

"You too" Yage replied

"I take it you know each other?" Celeste said

"Both my children. Different fathers" Corde interjected

"So I guess that makes me your aunt" Yage said

"Nice to meet you then" Celeste said with a smile "I've heard of you. Best Imp fighter pilot there is"

"Well, yeah" Yage replied

"So you'll be flying on Coruscant then?" Celeste asked

"Yes. The One-Eighty-First is my squadron and we'll be the first ones in the air"

"Well, good hunting" Celeste said

"You too" Yage said and walked off towards her fighters.

xxxx xxxx

"You really think Arek is going to go for this?" Cade asked

"He never could pass up a fight. Especially if it's for a good cause" Celeste chuckled as they walked down the ship ramp on the Nar Shaddaa landing pad.

The transport the Empress had provided for them took off as soon as they were in a taxi

"So what if Arek doesn't agree?" Corde asked

"He will. But in the off chance that he doesn't, he'll have a ship we can use" Celeste replied, typing into her wrist computer before turning to Nos'tarra "You should know, Master, that he isn't fond of Jedi

"He seemed to be fine with me" Cade said

"That's because you aren't strictly a Jedi" Celeste chuckled

"I am not ashamed of what I am" Nos'tarra replied

"I'm not saying you should be, I'm just saying don't expect a warm welcome" Celeste said as the taxi touched down outside Arek's cafe.

"Celeste, welcome back" Arek said as the group walked into his cafe. This late at night, it was deserted.

"Hello Arek" Celeste said back "We should talk"

"About what?" he asked, tossing a dish cloth over his shoulder

"We need your help" Corde said

"We need transport to Coruscant" Celeste said

"Why not just take the _Legacy_ and better yet, why would you want to go there anyway?" Arek asked

"Because the _Legacy_ is otherwise occupied for the moment and she's most likely got a spotter on her from Coruscant Security. We need the _Mist_" Celeste said "If nothing else, we just need an insertion drop"

"Celeste" Arek said "Why are you doing this? You know I want to stay out of the Galactic problems"

"I know. But I got nobody else to ask" Celeste replied, trying to look cute. Arek sighed

"Why do you need to go to Coruscant?" he asked

"We're taking on the Sith. We need to be ready for the Empress' fleet when it arrives" Celeste said

"This is the last time I let you twist my arm, young one" Arek said "I'll get the _Mist_ ready to fly. Landing pad eighty seven in one hour"

"We'll be there" Celeste said as Arek got up and walked out "Told ya" she said with a grin

xxxx xxxx

The black and green CR90 corvette soared through hyperspace on it's way to Coruscant

"Remember, Celeste" Nos'tarra said as she and Celeste sat cross legged in the cargo bay, her weapons laid out in front of her "A Jedi's strength flows from the Force, let it become as much a part of you as your hands or your eyes" Nos'tarra said, sitting directly accross from Celeste.

The door opened and in walked Cade

"We're just a few minutes from Coruscant" he said, standing over them.

"That's good" Celeste said, taking a deep breath

"Nervous?" Cade asked

"No" Celeste squeaked as she let out a breath

"Remember, focus is key" Nos'tarra said to Celeste "But you already know that"

"I do, Master. But thank you for teaching me" Celeste replied

"I have had many students, Celeste. None of them came as close to being one with the Force as you are. It is unfortunate I do not have more to teach you" Nos'tarra replied with a small smile.

"Time to do this" Celeste said, picking up her blaster and lightsaber. The handle from her sword she had taken back on Iego hung on her belt

"Why do you carry that thing around?" Cade asked as his daughter stood up

"I need it" she replied and walked out of the cargo bay.

xxxx

"Where we at?" Celeste asked, walking on to the bridge

"Beginning descent now" Arek said from the captain's chair "All cleared for landing"

"So what are you going to do when we land?" Celeste asked

"Business. I have some legitmate trading to do here. But I'll keep my comm open if you need air support" Arek replied. Celeste checked her chrono

"Four days, two hours and ten minutes" Celeste said "That's how long we have until the Imperial fleet arrives. Don't waste it"

"You don't either" Arek replied as Celeste walked off the bridge

xxxx

Stepping off the ramp, Celeste looked around at the sprawling ecumenopolis, shimmering in the light.

"So where do we start?" Cade asked

"We find the Imperial contacts" Celeste replied as she swung a hooded cape over her shoulders and began walking to the main cargo elevator, which was lowering her bike into place

"Why did you bring that with us?" Cade asked "It's out of place with most of the high end traffic here"

"It's my baby" Celeste replied "I had it modified specially for me. Heavy blaster, boosted thrusters, enchanced engines and turbocharged repulsors. Has a two kilometer flight ceiling now. Best way to get around a city like this"

"We'll stay here and give Arek a hand" Corde said before Cade could say anything "Since our faces are all over banners here" she pointed to a large holo display on one of the buildings

"Sounds good. I'll be back when I find something" Celeste said, firing up the engine.

xxxx

She set the bike down near an old warehouse and called up the datapad that the Empress had given her to confirm coordinates

"I guess this is the place" she said and walked to the open loading dock door.

"Hello?" She asked as she walked inside

"I don't know who you are, but you are not welcome here" a voice from the shadows said "Turn around and leave. You have ten seconds"

"I'm looking for a..." Celeste looked down at the datapad "Marcus Pentra"

"Why would you be looking for someone like that?" the voice asked

"I heard that he would be able to help me" Celeste replied "

"You're not very convincing"

"I was told this place is a safehouse for Imperial Agents"

"Who told you?"

"Empress Marasiah Fel" Celeste replied. No response from the darkness "Hello?" she called out.

Several figures, each with rifle carbines aimed at Celeste, emerged from the darkness. Celeste pulled out her blaster and her mother's lightsaber, though she did not activate it. She could make out three figures, a human led the group with a Twi'lek and a Zabrak on either side, all dressed in plain Coruscant civilian garbs

"You're an Imperial agent?" one of the men asked

"No" Celeste replied

"Jedi?" the man asked, noting her lightsaber

"Not officially"

"Sith?"

"No"

"Then what are you?"

"Freighter captain. Name is Celeste Skywalker"

"You're a Skywalker?"

"Yes"

"Why are you here?"

"I was told you could help me disable Coruscant's defenses"

"Of course" he replied, keeping his blaster raised

"Well now that that is settled, I'm not here to fight" Celeste said, lowering her weapons. The group did the same. "The Empress is coming with the fleet. They'll be here in four days"

"You should come inside so we can talk" he said

"You should come with me. I have a more secure place to speak" Celeste countered

"Very well. Lead the way" the man said as a speeder came out from the shadows.

xxxx

"Agent Corde. Good to see you again" the man said, stepping out of the speeder

"Likewise, Agent Pentra" Corde replied, shaking his hand "They didn't tell me that you were stationed here"

"I'm not, officially. I'm dead. Killed during the uprisings that led to the evacuation of Coruscant. As were my team" Pentra replied

"Well in that case, we'd best get to work so you're not seen" Corde said

xxxx

"So the fleet is coming in four days, is that correct?" Pentra asked as everyone gathered in the _Maiden's Mist_ conference room. Corde nodded

"All the ships that the Empress can muster. It's around half of the ships that guard Coruscant" Corde replied

"So we need to even the odds" Celeste said "The Empress said something about the ADS"

"That was my line of thinking. But both stations are too heavily guarded" Pentra said

"I thought they didn't bother with the Palace" Cade said

"They don't. The Sith prefer their temple. They relocated the primary control station to the temple" Pentra said with a sigh "And nobody can get to it"

"I could" Celeste said

"You probably could. But if anyone comes close, they kill the station and control re-route to the secondary station" Pentra added "The secondary station is out in The Works, surrounded by full time guards and no civilians. It's as heavily defended as the temple"

"So you can't get in?" Celeste asked

"I didn't say that. I'm saying I can't take both locations" Pentra said. Celeste shot Cade a look. He nodded

"We'll take the temple" Celeste said "Corde, you and Master Nos'tarra take Pentra and his agents to secure the seconday station" Corde nodded and looked down at some of the holographs

"Alright. Now, about some of these details here..."


	20. Chapter 20 Coruscant

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 20**

**Coruscant**

"All set, kid?" Cade asked as he and Celeste stood near the cafe Celeste had fled to after her capture

"Do you even have to ask?" Celeste replied. Cade chuckled

"Alright, which way?" he asked

"Down that corridor. I came out down that way" Celeste pointed at a small opening "Lots of Stormtroopers in there"

"Means more fun" Cade said

"Read my mind" Celeste grinned and checked her chrono "Two hours until the fleet arrives"

"Then let's party" Cade said.

The pair turned and began to walk down the passageway. Cade held his lightsaber and Celeste kept her blaster high.

"There should be another passage here" Celeste said, coming up on a dead end. "There was a door that I blew open with a grenade. Why is there only a wall now"

"Maybe they got wise and replaced it" Cade said

"Maybe" Celeste said, holding her palm firmly on the wall "Or maybe..." she said as the wall began to move "They just hid it" she said with a grin as the wall retracted

"Lucky guess" Cade said

"No. I could feel something in the wall. Guess I'm still getting a handle on my abilities" Celeste said

"But you've had and been using them all your life" Cade replied

"I've been surpressing them most of my life, remember? Only after I met Master Nos'tarra did I actually try to let my powers flow. So to speak" Celeste shrugged

"I see what you mean" Cade said as a blaster bolt flew past his head. Both he and Celeste ducked behind some signs

"Good thing Stormies can't shoot worth a damn" Celeste said, firing some shots from her blaster. Several troopers fell the ground near the plaza entrance

"Got that right" Cade replied. Celeste fired a few more shots and another couple troopers went down.

Celeste activated her mother's lightsaber and jumped out from behind cover, deflecting shots left and right as she continuted to fire her blaster, downing several troopers.

Wayward blaster bolts ripped through her jacket and tore small holes in the side of her pants.

The pair ducked behind cover as they entered the plaze

"See that window at the far end of the plaza?" Celeste asked. Cade looked and saw a rounded window at the far end, high above the plaza

"What of it?" he asked

"That's the target. Try to keep up" Celeste smirked and jumped out of cover.

She fired shot after shot while swinging her lightsaber. Maybe bolts were deflected into the ground, others into the walls.

She jumped high and came crashing down on top of a trooper, collapsing his chest armor with her knee before sliding forwards, slashing a few troopers along the way. She jumped and fired off another few shots.

Cade wasn't far behind, but lacking a blaster, he was forced to be more defensive, but he was still taking down more than a few troopers with just his lightsaber.

He made it behind the cover where Celeste had wound up just as she tossed a thermal detonator up and, using the Force to accelerate it's speed, watched it land on the window ledge.

The explosion was violent. Bits of transparisteel and durasteel fell all around them. Celeste wasted no time, attaching her grapple extension and firing the line up several stories to where the window was.

"Need a ride?" She asked, extending a hand to Cade. He grinned and gripped her wrist just as the cable began to retract.

Cade was the one to cover their ascention. He used his blade to deflect any blaster bolts that got too close.

Jumping through the window, Celeste reignited her blade and kept her blaster steady.

It was clearly the throne room that she had jumped out of, but no one was present

"Maybe they're all sleeping?" Celeste suggested

"Don't count on it" Cade replied, standing at her back

"There is a terminal on the far wall, go for it" Celeste said "I got your back"

Cade moved quickly to the terminal, calling up whatever he could in an effort to locate the command center.

"Anytime now" Celeste said

"I got it!" Cade replied "Six levels up and one hundred meters west"

"Works for me. Let's roll" Celeste said, moving for the door.

xxxx

"How much farther?" Celeste whispered

"Twenty meters" Cade replied "Just past one of the meditation chambers"

"I'm surprised we made it this far without being discovered" Celeste whispered

"What makes you think you weren't discovered" a voice said from the shadows.

The ceiling lights came on, one by one, to reveal a hallway full of Sith warriors. Talon led the group.

"We knew you were here. I could sense it. Lord Nihl told us to wait until we knew what you were doing. I'm surprised you didn't sense anything"

"I did. But considering this place is crawling with vermin, I ignored it" Celeste mocked. Down the hall, the doors opened a more Sith stood in the hallway, blocking their path

"I will give you one more chance to join the Sith. Join me" Talon said "Stand at my side"

"I'll give you one more chance to renounce the Sith. Stand at my side" Celeste countered

"No" was all Talon said

"How unfortunate" Celeste sighed

"Got a plan here, kid?" Cade asked

"Yeah. Kill em all" Celeste replied, slinging her blaster over her back and taking her sword handle off her belt

"Really not a good time" Cade said

"You sure about that?" Celeste asked and pressed a button on the side of the handle.

A lightsaber blade ignited. But not one Cade had ever seen before. It was solid black with a white aura around it

"Cool" Cade said "That's why you needed the handle from Iego"

"Got that right" Celeste replied "You ready?"

"You even need to ask?" Cade replied. Celeste closed her eyes and felt her strength increasing, her power rising

"Then let's do this" she said and charged.

She dodged Talon and went for the Sith behind her mother. Slashing and hacking she met every attack with her own. Several Sith fell within moments. Talon kept her distance, trying to hit Celeste with lightning, but her daughter was too fast. The mixture of solid red and solid black danced in the air.

Nothing could match Celeste's ferocity. She was determined, focused and at one with herself.

Some Sith managed to block and counter Celeste's attacks, but nothing could keep them alive and as more and more fell to her duel blades, the Sith began to retreat, slowly.

"GO FOR THE OBJECTIVE!" Celeste yelled. Cade nodded and ran down the hallway that Celeste had cleared.

Celeste could feel the Sith's energy. She could feel their power building upon her own. When she finally stopped moving, the hallways were littered with bodies. Only a few Sith remained. As she paused, trying her best to contain all her energy, she glaced a look at her body and saw a large amount of scars.

most of her arms and legs were scarred, clothes ripped. She looked like she had been attacked by Nexu. Her jacket and pant legs were torn and showed multiple lightsaber cuts. The pain soon set in. Like dozens of small bugs eating at her skin, she could feel each wound. But whether the cuts were made by her enemies or by her own carelessness, she wasn't sure, it had all been a blur.

Talon lunged, her blade drawn. Celeste pulled up her crimson blade, blocking the attack. Talon kept attacking, taking swipe after swipe at her daughter, who blocked every single strike. Celeste moved back to counter the furiousity of her mother's attacks.

"You're holding back" Talon said as the two lightsabers crossed

"I'd rather not have to kill you, mother" Celeste replied

"I will not hesitate to kill you" Talon said, striking again "You are my enemy"

Before Celeste could reply, Talon was flung into the wall as Cade ran up

"Thanks" Celeste said

"Anytime, kid" Cade replied. Talon swung her hand and the two of them stumbled back as the Twi'lek darted down the hallway.

"I didn't think they ever ran" Celeste commented, deactivating her blades

"Only when they have to" Cade replied "She knows she can't win this round"

"What about the objective?" Celeste asked

"It's done. Command control was automatically re-routed when I smashed the control panel. The explosives did the rest" Cade replied. Celeste looked at her chrono and hit her commlink

"Agents, how are you doing?"

"We're just about to breach" Corde replied "Have the controls been routed?"

"Affirmative" Celeste replied "Control station here has been destroyed"

"Copy that" Corde replied and signed off

"Fleet arrival in twenty minutes. We'd better surface" she said

"Then let's go" Cade started running down the hall. Celeste followed.

xxxx

They emerged in a large chamber and stopped quickly.

Talon, Nihl and a large amount of Sith Warriors all stood before them, all with their lightsabers active.

"Whatever you have come here to accomplish" Nihl said "Is finished. You will meet your death here and now"

"Bring it" Celeste said, activating both her lightsabers "We've already completed our mission"

The Sith charged from all sides. Celeste rotated between blocking and countering before she finally decided to go on the offensive.

Leaping to the ceiling, she came crashing down, flattening a pair of Sith warriors. A backflip drove her sabers into the heads of another pair that she then flung into the crowd.

Holo screens lit up around the chamber. The combatents all stopped and looked. Celeste quietly took another pair of Sith down. Marasiah Fel appeared on the screen.

"I AM EMPRESS MARASIAH FEL OF THE GALACTIC EMPIRE!" She said loudly "I CALL UPON ALL LOYAL IMPERIALS TO STAND AND FIGHT THE SITH AND THEIR ALLIES. NO PUNISHMENT WILL BE BROUGHT TO THOSE WHO STAND WITH THE ONE TRUE THRONE! CORUSCANT'S DEFENSES ARE DOWN AND WE HAVE BEGUN OUR ATTACK! THIS WORLD WILL BE FREED FROM THE SITH!" she raised her lightsaber above her head in a symbolic gesture.

"I gotta admit, she knows how to make an entrance" Celeste smirked

"Impossible" Nihl sneered

"Keep thinking that" Cade said and attacked the Sith Lord, who barely managed to block the attack.

Celeste went back to attacking the Sith. One of them got a clear swipe at her leg and took it. She cried out as the blade barely swiped her leg. In retaliation, she took a swift jab at her attacker and managed to pierce his chest clean through. He fell to the ground just as she managed to block and drive her blades through another Sith.

A loud rumbling sound drew everyone's attention. Celeste couldn't figure out what it was, but something told her to move, so she ran.

As she entered the hallway she had emerged from, a loud crash came from the chamber and a Sigma class shuttle burst through the ceiling, collapsing most of the pillars in the chamber

"Now that's an entrance" Celeste smirked.

Celeste returned to the main chamber as several Imperial Knights and a squad of stormtroopers wearing nearly solid black armor stepped out of the crash. One of the Knights approached Celeste.

"On the order of Empress Fel, we are here to assist" he said "I am Grapher"

"Nice to meet you, but the fortress is almost clear. Send your men back underground into the fortress. Any more coming?" Celeste asked

"Two assault shuttles landing now" he replied

"So you decided on the direct approach?" Celeste smirked

"We were shot down"

"Ah. So just poor piloting then. We're headed for wherever that group of Sith are headed" Celeste said, taking off after Cade who was running after Talon and Nihl.

xxxx

Celeste opened the door that Talon and Nihl had fled through. A gust of wind caught her in the face as she stepped out onto the terrace on top of Sith temple main structure, her father stepping in behind her

"IT'S OVER!" she yelled out at her mother "You've lost"

"It's only begun" Nihl said as he and Talon jumped over the edge of the structure.

Celeste ran up and was surprised to see a Nune class shuttle taking off. Talon and Nihl, as well as several other Sith on the main flight deck. Celeste grabbed her comm

"Arek, we have an escaping shuttle. Where are you?" she said into it

"I see it. We're coming into firing range now" Arek replied

"TAKE THE SHOT" Cade yelled

"Do it" Celeste said

"Copy that"

Celeste and Cade watched as the four turbolasers on the _Maiden's Mist_ opened fire, targeting the shuttle. Shield impacts were obvious and the shuttle kept making quick turns as the corvette gained ground.

A blast from the shuttle launched a proton torpedo towards the _Mist_. It impacted and the Corvette was forced to veer off as the shuttle exited the atmosphere.

Celeste cursed and sat down on the duracrete

"Grapher, is it? I need your comm" Celeste said. The Knight passed it to her

"This is Celeste to Empress Fel. Nihl and Talon have escaped"

"That is unfortunate, but we've secured the palace" Fel replied "Coruscant is ours again"

"Copy that" Celeste replied, frustrated.

Celeste looked out over the skyline. Her heart sank as she saw buildings burning and shattering from falling debris. People fell from the skyline

"So much death" she whispered to herself

xxxx xxxx

"So what now?" Fel asked as she, Celeste, Cade, Corde, Faei, Gunn and the Jedi council stood in the palace throne room

"Korriban" Celeste said quietly

"I doubt what you are looking for is there" Fel said, calling up a hologram of Korriban "I've had my people pour over every part of the holoscans, looking for your device chamber. Nothing has been found"

Celeste looked over the hologram and something caught her attention

"Remove the entire hologram except for section Aurek three and everything under it" Celeste said. Most of the hologram disappeared, leaving a smal section of the planet visible "How old is this map?" Celeste asked

"A few months" Fel replied as Celeste stared at it, then moved to the control console. She began to type in instructions. What was left of the hologram disappeared except for a small chunk.

A tunnel ran through it. Celeste continued to input instructions into the computer. The chunk of planet split in half and Celeste pointed to a small segment about one hundred meters below the tunnels

"That's it. That's where my goal is" she said, her finger pointing at solid rock

"Celeste, there is nothing there" Faei said

"Of course. It was designed to be hidden after all" Celeste replied

"The problem being that those tunnels are directly below the Valley of the Dark Lords" K'kruhk said "That area is going to be swarming with Sith"

"I guess that makes se..." Fel broke off her sentence as an Imperial officer burst into the room.

"EMPRESS!" he yelled "We have a hyperspace event. Three ships have just exited hyperspace and are heading for Coruscant"

"Are they ours or are they Sith?" Fel asked

"We don't know. They aren't transmitting identification codes or communications" he said and input a datacard to the holographic projecter Celeste had been using. Three ships appeared

"That's an Acclamator" K'kruhk said. "I haven't seen those in years"

"What are the other two?" Cade asked

"Hammerheads!" Faei chimed in

"Impossible" Master Bruhala said "Those have been out of service for over three thousand years"

"Your highness, scans show that the Acclamator is heavily damaged" the officer said

"Attempt further communication. If they do not respond, destroy them" Fel said

"No, wait" Celeste spoke, her eyes moving fast "They're friendlies"

"How do you know?" Corde asked

"I can sense it" Celeste replied

"I can't" Cade said

"But I can" Celeste smiled and turned to the Empress "They'll need a place to land the Acclamator"

"Runway eighty three" Fel replied with a sigh "And you had better be right"

"I am" Celeste smiled and ran out of the room. Everyone followed her.

xxxx xxxx

"So who are they?" Fel asked

"You'll see" Celeste replied with a smile as the Acclamator touched down on the pad.

The main ramp extended down. A force of several hundred beings, all hooded and carrying active lightsabers walked down in two lines of perfect formation.

"It's a trap!" Fel said, reaching for her lightsaber

"No. I recognize this" K'kruhk stopped her "It's a ceremonial march for dignitaries"

"Are you sure?" Fel asked

"Positive" K'kruhk replied "But I've never seen it in this scale before"

"Very well" Fel said, notioning for her Knights and guards to stand down.

The formation marched down the ramp, the sound of their boots was loud and rythmic. As the formation reached the bottom of the ramp, they turned ninty degrees to face inward, their sabers still lit, creating a dazzling spectacle of light.

Eight more figures, all wearing robes appeared at the top of the ramp. They walked down slowly

"So many Jedi" Fel said. Celeste just smiled and walked forward.

"Master Arei" Celeste bowed

"Do not bow to us, Chosen One. It is us who bow to you" Arei replied "We have decided that the duty of our order has been fufilled. We are here to assist you"

"Who are you?" Fel demanded

"This is Grand Sage Master Arei" Celeste replied "Of the Shadow Sages"

"I have never heard of this order" K'kruhk said

"Because you were not supposed to. The details can wait, but all you need to know is that for the past twenty thousand years, our order has lived in secret, watching the galaxy and waiting" Arei said

"Waiting for what?" Fel asked

"Celeste" Arei replied


	21. Chapter 21 Continue the Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 21**

**Continue the Fight**

"You've waited twenty thousand years for Celeste?" Fel asked

"Yes. Though not specifically. Our order was created to assist the Chosen One of prophecy when they would need it most" Arei said "That time is now. We have brought a force of two thousand Knights and Masters to help in this conflict"

"Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One" K'kruhk said

"No. He was not" Arei said "He was thought to be, but that is incorrect"

"So Celeste is?" Bruhala asked

"Correct" Arei said "She fits perfectly. But now is not the time to discuss such things. The Sith have retreated?"

"Yes, Master. They have. We believe to Korriban, but they will send part of the Korriban defense fleet to try and retake Coruscant" Celeste said

"Then it is time for battle. This transport is not fit for combat, but our escorts are. They will help in the defense of this world" Arei said

"We welcome the help" Fel said as the group walked towards the waiting shuttle.

"So how did you get that Acclamator?" K'kruhk asked

"It dropped out of hyperspace one hundred and eighty years ago above Tython. We sensed no one on board, so we investigated. It was deemed a worthy transport, so we hid it on Tython. We always knew there would come a time when we would have to leave our sanctuary" Arei replied

"If you like, I can have some engineers look over it. Repair some of the damage" Fel offered

"We would appreciate that, Empress" Arei replied

xxxx xxxx

"So it comes down to the fact that we have to capture the Valley of the Dark Lords" Celeste said, pointing to the holographic map of Korriban "If only for a short time"

"That will take a lot of resources" Fel countered "And no guarantee that we can hold it"

"We don't need to hold it. Just capture long enough for me to get down into those catacombs" Celeste replied

"The catacomb entrance is here" Faei said, adjusting the map "At this end of the valley. Right under the main Sith base in the mountain"

"That won't easy to get to" Celeste mulled

"More like impossible" Faei said "The data from the captured Star Destroyers indicate that the Sith have fortified the base. Mass drivers and flak cannons surround the area. A fighter might be able to get in and out alive, if the pilot is lucky enough, but anything larger will be vaped before it can get close"

"What about at this end of the valley?" Corde asked, shifting the map

"That end has a few anti aircraft cannons and small turrets. It's a good landing site, just out of range of the base defenses"

"And inside the valley?" Celeste asked

"No information" Fel replied

"So we'll assume it has heavy defenses" Celeste said "We'll have to land and go through the valley on foot"

"That's suicide" Faei said

"Is there a better idea?" Celeste countered. Nobody said anything "We should split up then" Celeste continued "Three teams. One on each side of the valley and one down the center. More chance of reaching the objective and covering the other teams"

"I see. That might be doable, but It will most likely take a fleet to breach their orbital defenses, depending on how many ships they send here" Fel said

"Not necessarily, Highness" Yage interrupted

"Colonel?" Fel asked

"Highness, if we send a few heavily armed ships, we might be able to draw off their fleet long enough for the transports to land. It would just be a matter of escaping the full force of the fleet and engaging one or two ships at a time" Yage said

"Landing the transports will be difficult enough. It's not Coruscant with a massive population" Fel protested

Before anyone could reply, an alarm started blaring in the chamber. An officer ran into the room

"Enemy fleet has arrived" he said

"How many ships?" Fel demanded

"Fifty eight capital ships and around thirty smaller ships" the officer replied "Not counting fighters"

"That's half the Korriban defense fleet" Fel said, rushing from the throne chamber.

xxxx

Celeste watched the battle with dread in her heart. All those lives ending before her eyes. All those sentients

"It's time to end this" she announced, standing up and heading for the exit, a scowl on her face

"Cel, wait up!" Faei ran after her.

"Where are you going?" Fel asked

"Korriban. I won't stand here and watch more people die" Celeste replied "Not when I can do something"

"CELESTE" K'kruhk spoke up "Don't give in to your anger. That leads to the Dark Side and you will doom the galaxy"

"I already gave in, Master. Twelve years ago" Celeste said, turned and walked out

"Stay out of this one, Faei" Celeste as she walked down the palace hallway

"Like heck I will" Faei replied, walking closer

"I mean it. Stay here. Last thing I want is you getting killed" Celeste said firmly as Arei and the Sage council came up behind her "What about you?" Celeste asked

"We go where you go" Arei replied

"Then to Korriban it is" Celeste said quietly, looking at Arei and the Sage Council over her shoulder.

"How are you going to get there?" K'Kruhk asked

"The Sages transport will do" Celeste replied

"Think about this. You will never land without the support of the fleet" K'Kruhk said "You, and the Sages will be killed long before you reach Korriban"

"And as long as Coruscant remains under attack, I will keep the fleet here" Fel said, stepping out of the war room.

"Then I'll do it without your help" Celeste said, walking off and leaving everyone standing in the hallway. Cade ran after her.

xxxx xxxx

"I'm not one for speeches" Celeste said, standing on the upper level of the Acclamator-class transport _Fury_ and looking down on the two thousand Jedi warriors as well as several Imperial soliders. Cade, Corde, Nos'tarra and the Jedi Council were also there, looking up at her and Arei "I've studied histories. Battles. Leaders. Successes and failures. No one mission has ever held this level of importance. No one battle has ever had so much riding on the outcome as much as this has" she finished. Not knowing what else to say, she stepped down. The crowd cheered.


	22. Chapter 22 The Valley

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 22**

**The Valley**

"Coming out of hyperspace" the pilot reported.

Celeste watched the stars return to their normal place as the ship decellerated. A massive fleet appeared between them and Korriban

"Open communications" Celeste said "Audio only"

"Good thing the Imps reparied the array" Cade muttered

"This is Darth...Aegis" Celeste said, realzing she should have thought this through

"We don't have you registered" a voice over the speakers said

"I wish to speak to Darth Talon" Celeste said

"Talon is not available" the voice said

"You will get her or I will report you to Lord Nihl" Celeste said as the _Fury_ got closer to the fleet "Tell her that I have captured her daughter"

"Very well" the voice said and the comm went dark

"Smooth" Cade mocked

"Quiet" Celeste shot back and looked at Arei "Ready on those guns?"

"All stations are ready" Arei replied.

"This is Talon" the comm crackled to life "You have Celeste?"

"She's right here" Celeste tried to alter her voice

"Your deception is fooling no one" Talon said "Surrender your ship or we will open fire" she threatened. Celeste watched as the _Fury_ entered the Sith Formation. Outside the bridge windows she saw turrets turn to face them.

"Master" one of the Sage Knights called out

"Yes?" Arei answered

"Multiple hyperspace events directly astern" the Knight said "All Sith transponders"

"You are one ship. Surrender" Talon said over the comm.

Celeste watched the holodisplay. Suddenly, the newly arrived fleet began to open fire on the blockade fleet. Several ships were destroyed instantly. The holocomm channel opened

"This is Empress Marasiah Fel calling all loyal Imperial soldiers to turn against the Sith and rejoin the true Empire!"

Celeste couldn't help but grin.

"She knows how to make an entrance. FULL SPEED!" she pointed forwards. The deck shook as the _Fury_'s engines kicked into full power

"Beginning landing sequence" the pilot reported from his station.

xxxx xxxx

Celeste felt the gentle impact as the _Fury_ touched down on Korriban's surface. The main ramp opened and she looked out over the surface. Then she began to feel something

"You okay?" Cade asked

"I feel, different. Stronger. I feel much stronger than before" Celeste replied

"The Force is strong here" K'Kruhk said "But it is bathed in darkness"

"I can feel it" Celeste said, clenching her fist

"Kid, your eyes" Cade pointed out. Celeste looked down at her wrist computer. In the relection she saw her face. Her eyes had turned at bright orange like before

"She is immersed in the Dark Side" K'Kruhk said, drawing his lightsaber

"Wait!" Celeste said before he could move "I'm not a Sith!" she protested "I'm no different than I was five minutes ago..." her voice trailed off as she moved back, trying to keep the lightsaber from getting close to her

"What is it?" Corde asked

"Korriban. The device. Korriban is a world immersed in the Dark Side. The device absorbs Dark Side energy. I'm linked to it. I guess being here supercharged me" Celeste said

"From what I have heard, that makes sense" Arei said

"It does" Nos'tarra seconded

"Very well" K'Kruhk warned "But be wary of the Dark Side, Celeste. It's lure can be subtle"

"Hey, if I haven't become a Sith by now, I doubt it will happen at all" Celeste smirked "Now let's do this"

Celeste took a deep breath and began to walk down the main ramp. Her mother's lightsaber in one hand and her blaster in the other. Her companions followed behind her and the warrior Jedi behind them. Sith fighters buzzed the atmosphere, trying to strafe the transport

"THREE TEAMS. SPLIT UP!" Corde yelled aloud. In almost perfect formation, the Jedi warriors seperate into three lines, each with two of the Sage council leading them. Less than a dozen followed Celeste's group.

xxxx

"MOVE FORWARD!" Celeste yelled from the front line. Sith approached from the opposite direction, all of them had their sabers drawn. Celeste activated her own blade and grinned a smile that would make a Hutt cringe. She pulled her blaster up and quickly fired a series of shots, catching one Sith in the head and several move in their shoulders. One fell down and several tripped over him.

Making a series of long leaps and soft movements, she quickly closed the gap. In less than a moment she was on top of them.

A heavy strike was brought down on the lead Sith. He collapsed under the weight of the strike and barely managed to survive as Celeste lept backwards and landed softly on the ground.

Under the watch of the statues that permeated the valley, Celeste struck again, dealing a heavy blow to the Sith. He snarled and countered. Celeste swung her saber vertically and blocked the attack, pushing his lightsaber to the side. She quickly lifted her blaster and shot him in the head before he could react. He went down, smoke rising from his head.

She quickly reacted and blocked the attacks of two more Sith, pushing them back with a Force bubble and then striking with her own blade. He blocked and tried to push her back, but she kept her blade locked with his, her eyes staring him down.

Corde had holed up farther back, taking potshots at the Sith warriors. One got too close, so her focus shifted. She rolled back while taking shots with dual pistols. He blocked all the shots, deflecting them into the ground and getting ever closer.

Nos'tarra jumped in, pushing him back with a blast of the Force from her hands and, with a singular attack with her golden lightsaber, ended his life.

"Thanks" Corde said, resuming her firing. Nos'tarra just nodded with a slight smile.

The Devaronian charged, slicing through an unsuspecting Sith, then drawing her blade a second later to attack another. This Sith blocked her stike and countered. She quickly dropped to the ground to avoid the attack and swung her foot under his, tripping him. He fell backwards and before he could react, she stabbed her blade up through his chin and through his head entirely.

As the Sith began to retreat, Cade used the opportunity to leap over the group. He locked sabers with another Sith the second he landed, preventing the Sith from retreating. As he held his blade locked with Cade's, Celeste came up behind and stabbed straight through his chest. She grinned as the Sith fell to the ground.

"They're falling back" Celeste remarked, standing over one of the fallen Sith "We keep pressing and this'll be easy"

"Not so easy" Arei replied, standing with her eyes closed. Our Knights are being ravaged. Felled one by one"

"Go help them. Us two can handle down here" Celeste said, referring to Cade and herself. Arei and the others nodded before proceeding to make their way up the cliff face. A small squad of Sage Warriors remained

"Let's move out" Celeste waved them forward.

xxxx

Celeste couldn't help but admire the stonework of the valley as the group walked down the center of the deep valley. Statues and large doorways into tombs were spaced apart. She wondered how many Sith had been buried here, intombed with who knows what.

Her train of thought was broken as as Sith fighter strafed the valley

"SCATTER!" She yelled and jumped behind a statue.

The laser impacts shook the ground as the fighter flew by. Celeste watched in horror as most of the Sage Jedi that were with her fell to the fighter's cannons. In her rage, she reached up and pulled the fighter down to the valley floor where it exploded in a large fireball.

Coming out from cover she bolted down the valley towards the objective. Cade ran after her.

Nothing stood in her way. She was consumed by anger. Many Sith tried to get close enough to deliver a killing blow, but fell before they could make any move.

Celeste's wake was littered with bodies. Even Cade couldn't help but feel slightly afraid of her.

xxxx

Coming out of the valley and into a larger canyon at the base of Mount Stafis and the Sith base, Celeste stopped in her tracks.

A crowd gathered at the base of the mountain. Celeste figured there was at least a dozen. All of them carrying lightsabers and all of them looking back at her and her father.

"This the kind of fun you were hoping for?" Cade asked. Celeste simply nodded, her eyes still glowing orange.

Celeste charged, swinging her blade vertically, her attacked barely blocked by one of the Sith. He struggled to keep her blade away, but managed to successfully push her back.

She fired a shot from her blaster before swinging her crimson blade. He blocked the shot, but was forced to expose his left side to do so. Celeste took advantage and slayed him with a single swipe to his neck. She used his falling body as a step to propel herself upwards and down onto another Sith. He fell as her lightsaber shone through his chest.

"All teams report in" Celeste said into her comm as Cade slayed the last of the Sith.

"We are nearing the end of the valley" Arei reported "But many have fallen"

"As well over here" K'Kruhk said, but have managed to hold them off

"Cade and I are beginning our ascent up the mountain" Celeste said

"We will follow as soon as we are able" Arei said "Go quickly"

xxxx xxxx

"You know" Celeste said, panting as they got to a plateau near the top of the mountain "There was an entrance door at the bottom of the mountain. We could have used that"

"And gotten stuck between corridors full of Sith and defense turrets with not enough space to move around" Cade replied, looking down at his daughter pulling herself up and over the cliff edge. Celeste rolled on the ground, breathing heavily.

"That's...a good point" she said

"It would have made your death much quicker" a voice said from the shadows.


	23. Chapter 23 Destiny

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 23**

**Destiny**

Celeste looked over and saw Talon emerge, flanked by two of the cyborg Sith troopers that she had fought on Taivas. Cade sneered and Celeste took a deep breath, drawing in a well of energy.

"Do you like them?" Talon asked "Lord Nihl found a storage facility full of them when we fled to the Deep Core. Apparently not being activated, they hadn't succumbed to the insanity of the previous troopers" the Twi'lek grinned and looked at Celeste "Kill her" Talon commanded.

"I've beaten them before" Celeste announced and pushed herself to her feet, pulled out her dual sabers and activating them at the same time. The contrasting colours of red and black illuminated Celeste's torso. Before she could lunge, Talon waved her hand and force pushed Celeste off the cliff. The troopers followed her.

Celeste managed to latch onto a cliff and pull herself onto a small ledge only slightly wider than her shoulders. The troopers managed to pull themselves to the same ledge.

Celeste wasted no time, quickly attacking the one in front of her. He blocked with his own saber and tried to force Celeste back. She ducked to avoid and attack and countered by swinging her shadow saber at the trooper's midsection. He dodged and used his wrist blaster. she swung and deflected the bolt.

Nearly losing her footing, she swung her torso back towards the cliff and in doing so, narrowly missed a lightsaber attempting to strike her.

An idea quickly formed in Celeste's head and she reacted, pressing her crimson lightsaber into the rock at her feet. The rock began to crumble and the Sith was forced to react, but as he did, Celeste pushed forward with her shadow saber and drove it through his helmet. Death was instant.

The other moved up behind her and attempted to stab her through her torso, but she swung her crimson saber and pushed his blade into the cliff face. Using the Force, she pushed out the rock behind him and jabbed both of her sabers into his torso.

"Well that's done" she remarked to herself, looking up at the cliff face. Seeing she was at a better angle than when she originally climbed, with a large outcropping far above her, she took out her rifle and attached an extension cable. She fired and watched as the cable flew upwards and lodged into the rock.

Pulling once on it, to make sure it was stable, she hit the retract button and allowed herself to be pulled up the cliff face, using the Force to enhance that speed.

Nearing the top, she began to swing side to side. Her velocity was quite extreme as she neared the end of the cable.

Using both her sideways and upwards momentums, she lept past the outcropping and back onto the plateau just in time to see Talon stab Cade in the leg with her saber. She quickly stabbed his other leg.

"NO!" She screamed and pushed Talon into the rock face before the Twi'lek could kill her father.

"I'm fine" Cade grunted, holding his legs. Celeste went over to Talon

"Please mother" she pleaded "Don't do this. Don't be one of them"

"You are foolish, child" Talon replied, standing up and reactivating her lightsaber "I was born of the Sith. I have lived as a Sith and I will die as a Sith. You may be of my own blood, but you have renounced your destiny to rule the Sith. You will perish along with everyone else" Talon said with gritted teeth

"I am sorry, mother. If I am not able to save you, then I have a duty to preform" Celeste said, taking her fighting stance

"I will kill you, my daughter" Talon said, taking her own stance.

Celeste charged, both sabers at the ready. She struck a powerful blow and forced Talon to slide back before jumping over her mother and striking a heavy blow which Talon managed to block.

Fighters from both sides flew overhead, with explosions rocking the Korriban sky as mother and daughter dueled atop the mountain.

Celeste jumped far back and looked her mother straight in the eye.

Taking a deep breath, Celeste charged again, reciting the Jedi Code in her mind. _There is no emotion, there is peace. S_he spun the saber in her right hand, the shadow saber, around so it faced backwards. _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge_. Talon moved to block as best she could. _There is no passion, there is serenity._ Nearly reaching Talon, Celeste deactivated her lightsabers and moved her right foot forward, making contact with Talon's ankle. _There is no chaos, there is harmony_. The Twi'lek began to trip and Celeste barely had time to whisper

"I'm sorry" before she, with a single movement, twisted her arms and reactivated her lightsabers. _There is no death, there is the Force._

Cade watched the entire move with complete awe. Celeste's move had driven both of her sabers straight through Talon from behind. One through the Twi'lek's head and the other through the torso. Cade figured that Talon was dead before she hit the ground.

Celeste fell to her knees and dropped her sabers to the ground. Cade could hear Celeste crying. He dragged himself over to his daughter and did his best to sit up beside her.

"I'm sorry" was all he said. Celeste collapsed into his arms

"She was a Sith. She was evil, completely evil. And yet, she was still my mother" Celeste said quietly "I tried to save her"

"You did, kid. You did" Cade replied, trying to comfort her

"I...I don't know what to say" Celeste said as Corde climbed over the ledge.

Looking first at her son and granddaughter and then at the body of Talon, laying on rock, Corde knew what had happened. Celeste slowly managed to stand up and several of the Jedi helped Cade stand

"She's dead" Celeste said quietly

"I see that" Corde replied

"Let's finish this" Celeste said, calling her sabers to her. "To me" she called the Jedi warriors and walked into the lift that Talon had used "We'll be back" she said. Cade smiled.

xxxx xxxx

"These are the catacombs, alright. I'm amazed the Sith kept the direct access route from the surface" Celeste said as they walked the catacombs

"You remember this?" Corde asked curiously

"Yes. It's all coming back to me" Celeste replied "I can remember all of it" she said, looking around "There!" she pointed at a pile of rubble

"Now how do we move this without caving ourselves in?" Corde asked

"Very carefully" Celeste replied, igniting her shadow saber.

She thrust the blade into the rock and began to dig down, with Corde using her hands and the Jedi behind her using the Force to move rocks out of the way.

xxxx

Celeste screamed as the rocks under her gave way and she fell into a larger chamber.

Sitting up and igniting her blade, she looked around. Sitting in front of her, covered in Korriban DeclaSpider webs, was the device she had found as a child

"It is here" she smiled to herself.

A rope ladder dropped down and Corde climbed down

"So this is it?" she asked

"Yes. Take the Jedi and wait for me outside the catacombs. I will activate the device and join you as soon as I can" Celeste said

"You sure about this?" Corde asked

"More than I have ever been" Celeste replied, her eyes returning to their normal colour. Corde nodded and climbed back up the ladder.

Celeste walked over and pressed her hand on the visible keypad. As before, the device began to glow and a tendril of energy began to snake it's way up her arm and around her body. She closed her eyes and tried to open her mind to the Force, the universe and everything in it.

The tendril soon receded and a hologram appeared

"Hello" it said

"Who are you?" Celeste asked

"I am a representation of Geltrak-Mir, the designer of the Harvester" the hologram replied

"You speak Basic?" Celeste asked

"I do. The language you call Basic was around in my time, only just. That is not important. What is important is that you are completing the work of my creator. Work you started many cycles ago"

"What is that work, exactly?" Celeste asked

"For centuries, my people travelled the stars using technology impued with the Dark Side of the Force. That technology would be our unduing if we did not find a different way to exist. It had already corrupted many of our people to barbarism and madness. It had to be stopped. My designer and others created the Harvester to absord the energy produced by the Dark Side of the Force. My people would be trapped, but they would be forced to find a way to survive without using what we already had and maybe we could be saved. But my creator was unable to activate the Harvester. I have been here, ever since" the hologram said

"Until I came along" Celeste said

"Yes. Another few seconds and the sequence would have finished, but you broke away prematurely" the hologram said

"How did I get out of here?" Celeste asked out of curiousity

"The bubble of energy you created forced you through there" the hologram pointed to a small cavern off to the side "After that, it collapsed"

"I see. So what now?" Celeste asked

"You either finish the sequence or you leave" the hologram said

"If I activate the sequence?" Celeste asked

"The Harvester will activate. It will absorb all the Dark Side energy in the galaxy. Beings who use it will be left without power and technology that depends on it will be redered useless. This world will be so full of energy, it will cease to be a planet and become a star"

"That's all?" Celeste asked

"That is all" the hologram replied

"How long will the sequence take to activate?" Celeste asked

"Within an hour the device will be at full power. Within three this world will be uninhabitable. Within six it will no longer be a planet" the hologram replied

"Then do it" Celeste said

"Place your hand on the main console and it will begin" the hologram said

Celeste stepped forward and put her right hand on the pad. It began to glow and the machine turned from pure blue light to a darker red

"It is done. I suggest you leave" the hologram said and disappeared

"Noted" Celeste said and ran for the ladder.

xxxx

"Where are we at?" Corde asked as Celeste emerged from the catacombs

"It's done. We have two hours to get off planet" Celeste said "So we'd better hurry" she grabbed her commlink "This is Celeste to all Imperial and Jedi forces. Objective complete. Retreat at once"

The group stepped into the elevator and as the door closed, Celeste couldn't help but have a smile on her face.

xxxx

"Time to go" Celeste said, stepping out onto the plateau

"We'll never reach the _Fury_ in time" Corde said

"INCOMING!" Faei's voice sounded on the commlink. Celeste watched as the _Legacy_ came down, followed by more than a few transports, dive bombing the base.

The _Legacy_ came to a full stop and hovered just over the plateau. The main ramp lowered. Celeste and Corde helped the injured Cade up the main ramp. Two of the Jedi carried Talon's body.

"We're all on. Go go go!" Celeste said, walking into the cockpit. Faei pressed some controls and the _Legacy_ began to move up at and away from the mountain.

"Nice timing" Celeste said. Faei smiled as the two bumped fists

"Now don't you ever say I wasn't there for you when you needed me" Faei said. Celeste just laughed.

xxxx

"It's gonna be quite the spectacle" Celeste said after ther _Legacy_ had docked with the _Fury_.

"Can't wait to see it" Faei said as the two walked down the hallways to the medbay

"Five and a half hours to go" Celeste said as they entered the medical bay.

Rows of covered bodies littered the floor as the medical staff attended to as many as they could. Celeste stepped over to where Master Arei lay

"Celeste. You have done it" she said, offering her hand

"Yes Master, I have" Celeste replied, taking her hand

"Then we were right, you are the Chosen One. You have brought light to the darkness. But my time has come" Arei said weakly

"No, you still have the council to lead" Celeste said

"They are dead. As are many of our warriors" Arei said "But do not fret, child. They died for a higher purpose than themselves. I know they would do it again" she pulled Celeste in close "Power is not taken, but earned. You must remember that. You must be willing to do what is necessary to ensure survival of the Order" her hand fell limp as she took her last breath.

Her body began to glow and as it disappeared into nothing, Celeste was left standing there. She turned to one of the staff

"How many of the Jedi Council survived?" she asked

"Only Master K'Kruhk" the nurse replied "And he is in a bacta tank right now"

"What about Master Nos'tarra?" Celeste asked

"Same as Master K'Kruhk" the nurse replied

"I see" Celeste said, heading for the exit.

xxxx

"This is quite the battle we fought" Fel said as she and Celeste walked towards the forward observation lounge.

"It was. But the cost was high" Celeste said

"Yes. It was. I heard what you had to do. It couldn't have been easy" Fel said

"It wasn't. But it had to be done" Celeste replied.

"How much longer?" Fel asked as they stood before the window, Korriban far in the distance.

"Minutes" Celeste said, already feeling drained

"Do you feel that?" Fel asked, turning around and grabbing her saber. Celeste reached for her own.

A side door the lounge opened up and Darth Nihl walked through, lightsaber ignited

"I have waited long for this day when I will finally destroy you" he said to Fel "And destroying you will be even more glorious" he grinned.

Lightsaber raised, Nihl charged. But as he did, a massive burst of light filled the lounge

"It's happening" Celeste smiled

"NO. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE" Nihl yelled and looked at his hands "I can't feel the Force anymore"

"That's because you're done. My destiny has been fufilled" Celeste said, advancing on him "Not to rule the Sith, but to destroy it. The Dark Side no longer has any effect. All of it's power goes to fueling the star that once was Korriban" Celeste smiled and raised her shadow saber "Attack"

Nihl charged, but Celeste ducked and jabbed her saber forward, directly into his torso. He grunted and fell over onto the deck, lifeless.


	24. Chapter 24 Finale

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.

**Chapter 24**

**Finale**

The _Legacy_ touched down on the landing pad for the Imperial Palace on Coruscant.

Celeste, Faei, Corde, Cade, Empress Fel and two of her Knights walked down the main ramp to a line up of Moffs waiting for them.

"So what now?" Faei asked

"We address the public" Fel said

"Yes. But first I have a personal matter to attend to" Celeste said as a medic and two Stormtroopers moved a hover stretcher carrying Talon's body down the _Legacy_'s ramp

"Of course" Fel nodded

xxxx xxxx

"It may not be as traditional a ceremony as the Jedi normally do, but it should do. May you find peace, Mother" Celeste said as she lit the flame on Talon's funeral pyre.

Situated in a cupola on the far east wing of the Imperial Palace, Celeste watched as the flames took Talon's body and turned it into nothing. There wasn't a crowd. No spectators like at Roan Fel's funeral. Just Celeste, Cade, Corde, Faei and Empress Fel with two of her Knights.

xxxx xxxx

"Today we celebrate" Fel said, standing on the balcony over looking Imperial square "The Sith have not only been driven off of Coruscant, but wiped out. Their main source of power has been taken from them and their homeworld has been obliterated. We can take solace in the knowledge that they will not bother us again!" She said to the Holocam droids.

The crowd below cheered. Thousands of people had turned out for the celebration of the Sith's defeat.

"We also have to take a moment to remember those who fell to bring us this victory. May their sacrifice never be forgotten!" Fel said with a somber tone "But we must also thank those who survived. This would not have been possible without the Jedi. Without one Jedi in particular, Celeste Skywalker!" Fel said, ushering Celeste to the podium.

"I've never been one for speeches. Never had a need to. But after everything that's happened in my life. Happened to me and those around me, I feel that it I need to take a hard look at my future. If we forget our past, then we doom our future. The Jedi Order has nearly crumbled once again. Only with the timely intervention of the Sages were we able to be successful. We paid a heavy price. The entire Sage council has been killed. Only one of the Jedi council still lives, barely" Celeste paused "On the trip back to Coruscant, I was told by the Sage Grand Master that power is not taken, it is earned and that I must do what is necessary for the galaxy and the Jedi Order. I had some time to study some of the galaxy's history. The wars, the conflicts, everything. One thing that was constant was that there was always Jedi at the center of it. The Jedi strive for peace, but also attract chaos. Even with the Sith gone, we are still a magnet. We interfere and meddle. I had some time to meditate and discuss this with the Empress. We both feel it is the right decision" Celeste took a second to collect her thoughts "With the death of the Sage Council and the Jedi Council being without leadership, I have taken the mantle of Grand Master. Starting today, the Jedi Order will be officially withdrawing to Tython where we can meditate and focus on the nature of the Force without being looked upon as overlords of the galaxy. Our services as mediators, negotiators and peacekeepers will still be available for any who need it, but our time as guardians has long passed" Celeste finished, stepping down from the podium. Fel stepped back up.

"Upon my order, the Jedi will be granted an embassy here on Coruscant where anyone can seek their council. Most of the details have yet to be worked through, but they will no longer be takin an active role in galactic politics. The Imperial Triumverate will be reformed, consisting of myself, Former Galactic Alliance Admiral Lash Tevron and an elected civilian representative" Fel finished.

Cheers and applause shook the area as the group walked back into the Palace

"That was easier than I thought it would be" Celeste remarked

"You are always welcome here, Master Skywalker" Fel said as she walked away

"That's Grand Master" Celeste called after her with a grin.

xxxx

"So what now?" Faei asked as she and Celeste walked out towards the _Legacy_.

"Now you have to pick a new co-pilot. But you shouldn't have much trouble with that" Celeste replied and tossed Faie a datapad

"What's this?" Faei asked

"Command codes and the like for the _Legacy_. Also hyperspace coordinates for Tython. I checked with the archives. There aren't any maps leading to Tython anymore. You have the only set" Celeste said with a smile

"Wow. I'm gonna be rich!" Faei remarked. Celeste laughed.

"Just make sure you make some runs yourself" Celeste said

Coruscant Prime was setting on the horizon. At the perfect angle the _Legacy_ obscured it, casting a shadow over the pair as they walked down the bridge towards the landing pad.

_Fin_

That's it folks! I hope you enjoy reading. Give me a review if you like it or even if you didn't, I always welcome constructive critiscm!

BTW if anyone knows how to get into touch with Lucasfilm so I can submit this to them, please pm me.


End file.
